


All I Want

by Declaraso



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, High School, Mutual Pining, Pining, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Romance, Secret Crush, Slow Build, Slow Burn, dont judge me sobs i love osamu, if some details are inaccurate im sorry jkshdkja
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:35:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24999943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Declaraso/pseuds/Declaraso
Summary: The twins have been your friends for as long as you can remember. They've always been there and you reckon they'll remain with you 'till all of you are old and gray. Miya, Osamu wants nothing more, as long as he's the one holding your hand.
Relationships: Miya Osamu/Reader
Comments: 110
Kudos: 541





	1. Chapter 1

"Hey, hey! I've just thought of a nickname for you two!" You grin at the twins as they were about to head out to the gym because another sport has taken their interest once again. You were about to play with your girl friends too but your little 10 year old heart was so excited about your sudden breakthrough that you immediately ran next door to the Miya household. 

They both groan in annoyance.

"Come on, [Y/n]. Can't this wait?" Atsumu whines.

"We have somewhere ta be, ya know," Osamu's equally miffed.

You ignore their protest because despite them complaining and being mean, bratty jerks, they still wait for you to speak anyway. You found out at an early age that they don't mean what they say most of the time. They say they don't care about you and then the next breath, fuss about you like you're their precious jewel.

You point at Atsumu, "'Tsumu!" and then at Osamu, "'Samu!" 

They stare at you like you're stupid but you don't miss the way their eyes sparkle.

"What kinda stupid nickname is that?" Osamu starts, looking away to hide the smile he can't seem to stop.

"Think of a better one, ya scrub." Atsumu grins, feigning it as arrogance but you know full well that these two are idiotic enough to actually like what you've come up with.

Idiots flock together after all.

"Good luck on your practice! See ya, 'Tsumu and 'Samu!" You giggle as you wave at the both of them, turning on your heel to go back to your home. Atsumu and Osamu watch you leave and when they're certain you're out of earshot, they turn towards each other and let out excited cries.

"That's so cool! Right, right?!"

"I told ya, befriending [Y/n]'s a good decision! She's a genius!"

The twins find themselves gushing about the new nicknames even when they're already at volleyball practice, the additional fact that they found Ojiro Aran's name cool fueling it. They think it makes them sound like a foreigner. Aran immediately dubs the nicknames dumb and he wonders what kind of person you are to have the twins so excited about it.

*** 

"You guys said the nickname's stupid and even called me a scrub and yet you guys use it to refer to each other anyway!" You pout as you and the twins are in the middle of an argument and you're sure it started with something small (as most of your arguments start that way) but it once again spirals into a game of reminding each other about things one have done and using it against each other (as most of your arguments go). 

The twins look like they've been slapped but, to your surprise, Osamu quickly attempts to recover- sputtering his words-

"W-well, we figured ya'd be so upset if we didn't use it so as the good friends we are, we decided to humor ya, [Y/n]." He said haughtily which fueled your anger more. Atsumu only watches as you turn red, fuming. He, for the first time in his 4th grade life, abruptly decides to shut up and stop participating in this petty squabble because he already knows where it's heading and he'd rather not be part of it. Luckily, Osamu doesn't seem to notice his brother's subtle betrayal because he was too busy trying to outwin you. 

"I forbid ya to use it!" You exclaim, hands on a fist as you yell at Osamu, not quite believing that the more reasonable of the twins is actually defying you. You expected this from Atsumu but Osamu? Osamu's eyebrows furrows. 

"Who gives ya permission to forbid that?!"

"I do! Don't use it, ya scrub!"

"Yer the scrubby one!!" 

"The scrubby one's the one who copies my homework, idiot!!"

"I only did that once! Also, who's the one who taught ya how to tie yer shoelaces the other day?! Yer the idiot!!" 

Atsumu rolls his eyes on that one though he does admit, that was pretty scrubby of you to not know [Y/n].

"Stupid Osamu! Stupid, stupid, stupid!!" You scowl at him before sticking your tongue out, feet already shifting so you can leave the twins alone in the park.

"I hate you!!" You run away, carrying both your anger and pride, refusing to swallow them down. Osamu only stares at your retreating figure, completely flabbergasted. It's only when you're out of sight did he realize that Atsumu left him to completely hang out to dry.

"You traitor. Why'd ya shut up, aren't ya supposed to be the most riled up here?!" Osamu points at Atsumu and the latter immediately scowls.

"M'not! Yer just a dummy!" Atsumu makes a show of brushing his shoulders to taunt Osamu that he, in fact, had gotten away scot-free from your wrath and would probably be more forgiving towards him than you will be towards Osamu.

Needless to say, they come home completely covered in dirt because they totally didn't lunge at each other the moment the chance was presented.

***

Atsumu invites you to have lunch with them at school the next day and even though you hesitated at first, remembering that Osamu infuriated you so much and that Atsumu irritated you to some extent, he manages to convince you.

Still, you stubbornly stick by Atsumu's side, pointedly ignoring Osamu. However, Osamu's more taken by eating so it didn't do you much, him having always loved food, until he suddenly looks at Atsumu.

"You made Aya-chan cry earlier."

Atsumu didn't even flinch.

"So?"

You furrow your eyebrows, pouting at Atsumu. He made another girl cry again? Wait, wait, is it only Atsumu this time? At reflex, you look towards Osamu too, pouting, and he frowns.

"I'd never make a girl cry," he says, somewhat defensive and you had to stop yourself from reminding him about the times he made Yuko-chan cry and how many times he made you so upset that your tears wouldn't stop bursting. You only huff. You're still giving him the cold-shoulder, don't fall for it [Y/n].

"I'm nicer than 'Tsumu. Makes ya wonder why'd ya pick him."

Osamu mutters to himself while glancing at you before he shifts his attention back to his meal. You pout. It's a fact that Osamu's always been the kinder one but he still can get pretty freaking mean. Nastier than Atsumu even.

"The hell ya babbling about?" Atsumu says, irritated, reflexively moving a bit closer to you as if to say you're with him.

"It means yer a scrub," Osamu scoffs.

"Uh? At least [Y/n] doesn't hate me!!" 

Both you and Osamu wince.

You continue eating in silence, watching your two identical bestfriends argue with each other until the end of lunch time.

Before you head back to your own class, you knock your shoulder with Atsumu's, catching him off-guard as you pout.

"You should probably be nicer to the girls who approach you, y'know," you mutter. Atsumu's a little stunned but he's quick to let his arrogance take over.

"Who cares about them? I have ya as a girl best friend already." He grins triumphantly and you scowl, turning to look at Osamu, who's patiently watching you two. You frown, pride equally too much as theirs but you swallow it just this once.

"I-"

"Sorry." You're thrown off-guard as Osamu apologizes, bowing towards you despite looking a bit strained. Atsumu covers his mouth to suppress his laugh but you don't pay him attention because you're bowing towards Osamu as well.

"Me too."

"Ya don't hate me anymore?"

"Naw. Never did."

"What's with this cheesy bullcrap?" Atsumu teases you both, gagging and you swat at him for being so crude. He laughs as he dodges and you would've chased after him if not for Osamu beating you to it, whacking his brother on the back of the head.

"Ow! The hell, 'Samu!"

"It's because yer bein' stupid, 'Tsumu."

You laugh at their antics before bidding them farewell, the three of you heading back to your respective classrooms. It's a bit sad that you're in a different class than the twins. You guys used to practically be inseparable but of course as all of you grew up, things eventually change. You began to have more girl friends that you spend time with and they began busying themselves with volleyball. Still, you guys still walk to school together, have lunch together and sometimes (because Atsumu and Osamu have practice and you can't be bothered to wait for them) walk home together. And somehow, even with these changes, you're confident that your friendship with them will never change.

Which is why even when you guys reach junior high, the twins still find themselves knocking at your door, whining about how slow you are and that all of you are gonna be late.

You curse as you were just tidying your hair up but you rush anyways because they're never gonna shut up about it. You grab one piece of bread for breakfast (you missed it again because you woke up late), call out to your family and head out the door, greeting the Miya twins with a glare as you munch on the bread.

Osamu raises an eyebrow.

"Ya woke up late again?" 

You ignore him, pushing the both of them to move already since apparently they were in such a freaking hurry. Atsumu grins at you haughtily.

"Bet ya that she's just doin' it for show. Or maybe she's on a diet. What? A boy teased you or somethin'?" 

You glare at Atsumu, resisting the urge to speak with your mouth full so you chew quickly, gulping it the next second.

"So early and yer already blabberin' stupid things. How scrubby."

Osamu laughs at this and you grin triumphantly at yourself as Atsumu scoffs. The three of you begin to chatter mindlessly on your way to school as is the routine between you guys. You don't know if you're lucky or not but somehow in your first and second year (current year you're in) of junior high, you guys managed to be in the same class, causing the twins to always flank you so you didn't really have many opportunities to create deep friendships with other people. Sure, you hang out with other people occasionally especially during the end of classes since the twins or either one of them rarely walk you home but you don't feel the particular closeness you have with the twins with other people. And your only girl bestfriend actually moved away just before junior high. (You guys still text so it's okay but still-)

"Hey, [Y/n], we have a practice match today, wanna watch?" 

You blink at Osamu.

"Yeah, watch me be great and mighty [Y/n]!" Atsumu chimes in, puffing his chest out proudly. You roll your eyes before looking back at Osamu, giving him a sweet smile.

"Sure, I'll come watch you and only you, 'Samu!"

"Hey!" Atsumu growls in annoyance, messing up your hair, making you groan in irritation. 

"Hey!! I just fixed it!" You crash into Atsumu since you can't mess his hair up as revenge because you can barely reach the top of his head anymore (darn it, these boys and their growth spurts), making Atsumu stumble a little bit and you laugh at him for stumbling because _you were such a meek little girl, how weak of him-_

Osamu's glad for the distraction because he doesn't know what he'll do if you (or worse, Atsumu) notice the faint blush that appeared on the tip of his ears when you uttered those words and smiled so angelically. His gaze lingers on you before he finally exhales through his nose and reprimands you and Atsumu for being so energetic in the morning. You and Atsumu retaliated by crashing into him, making him stumble too and before you knew it, you guys are arguing and are practically steaming in silence as you three make your way to the classroom.

(Though you guys were all buddy-buddy again during lunch.)

Then noon came and you're quite honestly shocked because a number of people are also heading to the gym to watch the volleyball team's practice match. You didn't know it was such a big of a deal. Sure, you went to official matches of the twins since they won't shut up about it if you didn't but this is actually the first time you're sitting in on one of their practice matches.

It's only when you're inside of the gym, standing on the upper balcony did you find out why there's quite a number of people- mostly girls-

"Atsumu-kun! Osamu-kun! Do your best!"

You wince as the girls squeal. It's not like you haven't witnessed this before (as you said, you've been in their official matches-) but isn't this a bit much for only a practice match? You see the other team glancing curiously at the upper balcony, a little bit taken-aback and probably thinking the same as you and even though it's not your fault in whatever way or form, you bow to them apologetically.

Atsumu does his usual 'silence!' gesture whenever he goes to serve and you tease him about it countless times but you can't deny that it is kinda cool. 

(Atsumu insisted it was and you think you got hypnotized into believing it.) 

Watching the twins is always a treat and you actually are a bit intrigued with volleyball because even just watching it is exhilarating. And both of them never shut up about it so you pretty much have a wide understanding of the sport. You made a mistake of showing interest in playing it once and the twins relentlessly drilled on you the basics of handling a ball and you made a mental note to yourself that if you ever find the motivation to try again, you wouldn't go to both of them.

(Osamu massaged your arms after that one time though. It was pretty sweet of him.)

As the ball hits the opponent's side with a 'bam!', having been set by Atsumu and being spiked by Osamu, the twins are quick to look your way and raise both arms, the two of them giving you a peace sign with that stupid grins on their faces. You couldn't help but stupidly grin back, pride swelling in your chest and with hands shaking, you give them a peace sign back. They laugh before energetically going back to the match. You snort, looking at them fondly. They do that during official matches too, though sometimes Atsumu winks or Osamu gestures a fist bump, always for you. So it's not new that a bunch of girls are glaring at you, not new at all.

In fact, even in elementary school, you were always being given backhanded compliments because the twins had oddly taken a liking to you. And you guess you deserve it, you don't really know why they like you either. It's not like you're their only neighbor. And you don't particularly remember how you guys first met either. 

Though none of that really matters, right? What matters is that they're your friends now. Your precious boys. 

You really hope that they'll stay with you forever.

One of them plans to.


	2. Chapter 2

Time flies fast and before you guys could even prepare for it, the full force of puberty hits you and senior high has come for your asses.

The three of you look at the board in which the list of classes and names are posted, struggling to find your respective names, you more so because you don't have the height the Miya twins have. You try your best to bring yourself to full height while tiptoeing, one hand clutching Osamu's arm tightly as support but to no avail. After much struggle, you just sigh and lay your feet flat on the ground.

"Just tell me if ya see my name, I give up."

"Ha, shorty/Ha, scrub," the twins say at the same time but you can see their eyes squint, heeding your request anyway. You roll your eyes. Endearing idiots.

You just wait for them to scan the lists, holding tight to Osamu as the crowd of fellow highschoolers squeeze you guys in, excitedly looking for their names as well. You're in between the twins so you don't really have the chance of getting lost but still...

"Aw man, we aren't in the same class," Osamu says a little bit later, sounding a little bit disappointed. 

"Huh? Really?" You say, tip-toeing again to check, as if it'll work if you try it for nth time. Osamu just sighs and raises an eyebrow. 

"Ya don't trust me?"

"Don't hurt ta double-check." You snap at him and he just shrugs. You turn to Atsumu, who's still squinting. After a few seconds, he, too, sighs.

"Yep. Ain't in the same class, the three of us." 

You slump your shoulders, visibly deflated. 

"What class am I in?" 

"Yer in 1-5, 'Tsumu's in 1-3 and I'm in 1-4," Osamu says, pulling you out of the crowd. Atsumu follows behind.

"Lame," you say.

"Super lame," Atsumu adds.

"Oh well, the classrooms must be next to each other. We can take turns with- ah!" You cut yourself off, suddenly coming to an epiphany, effectively startling the twins.

This is senior high! It's time to explore new things and maybe this is what you need. Getting away from the twins! Suddenly, all thoughts of shared lunch times disappear and you find yourself smirking haughtily at them, crossing your arms.

"I mean, see ya, scrubs." You turn away from them, ready to walk away all coolly until Atsumu pulls your hair, making you stumble back towards them.

"Ow, ow, ow! What the hell, 'Tsumu!!" You smack his hand away, your hands coming up to put your hair back in place. You feel Osamu's hand massaging your scalp and you don't know why but it makes you feel tingly.

"The hell's with that? What're ya thinkin' [Y/n]?" Atsumu scowls at you, irritated, because he feels like you just thought of something stupid and one-upped him simultaneously. You scowl back.

"I just thought, isn't it time to try new things? We're already in senior high, wouldn't hurt ta meet and hang out with new folks," you explain, looking at Osamu for back-up, his hand already pulling away from your hair. His face remains passive and you sigh exasperatedly. "I mean, aren't ya guys sick of me?"

"Oh, I am." Atsumu smirks and you frown.

"Yeah, so sick of you," Osamu joins in.

"Yeah? I'm sick of you guys too!" You exclaim, a bit offended and the twins laugh, slinging their arms on your shoulders, caging you in like they always do when you were kids (but you're not kids anymore and you can't deny that the twins are ridiculously attractive, especially Osamu, and it isn't really good for your heart anymore to be this near to them, where you can practically feel their breath on your cheeks-)

"Yer the one who started this and yet you get mad?" Osamu pokes you on your cheek and you blush.

"Aren't ya sick of us, [Y/n]?" Atsumu fake pouts, teasing you and you blush again, from anger this time. 

You shrug both of them off, shaking your fist at them once you're free (they only laugh at you) and when you guys hear the bell ring, you stick out your tongue at them before speed walking to your classroom.

The Miya twins both look at each other as your figure retreats further away from them.

"Somethin' new, huh?" Osamu mutters.

Atsumu grins. "Somethin' new."

The next day, they turn up to your door with their hair a different color.

You gawk at them, a bit weirded out with this sudden change of visuals. You mean, you've been with them since elementary for Pete's sake! You practically know their face by heart, especially since you see two versions of it everyday. And you've only always ever told them apart from the way they part their fringes. But now, the distinction is clear.

They're grinning at you like idiots.

Atsumu looks good but you can't seem to tear your eyes away from Osamu.

(Damn you, puberty!)

You clear your throat, untucking your hair from your ears so that none of them can see how red it is because _oh no, you're totally not developing a crush on Osamu right here and now- oh no-_

"Sorry, I think you've got the wrong house." 

As if a string has been pulled, the twins jump on you quickly, ruffling your hair and giving you a noogie as they laugh. You, on the other hand, tries to pry away both teenage boys away from you and yelling about their stupid appearances and  _ ow, ow! Stop giving me a noogie! _

"Well, it's different, right? Ya like it?" Atsumu sweeps back his hair as you guys start your walk to school. You shrug.

"S'okay."

"S'okay?! Damn ya, woman, I am gorgeous!!" 

"Sure, 'Tsumu, whatever ya say."

"Ha, it's ‘cause mine looks better, right, [Y/n]?" Osamu chimes in from your side, always turning everything into a competition when it comes to his twin. They're carbon copies of each other, even their personalities, Osamu's just kind of quiet and deceitful about it. You sigh, preparing yourself for a lie.

"S'okay."

"Lame." Osamu pouts at your lackluster reaction.

"Super lame," Atsumu adds, putting his hands on the back of his head. 

You don't know why but you're so nervous right now, it's actually making you exhausted. And the day's barely started. 

You thank the heavens that you're not in the same class as Osamu because the boy is unbelievably handsome. You mean, they were already even before the hair dye but!! 

You slap both of your cheeks to get your crap together (startling the twins- still not used to your sudden unannounced movements even after so many years of being together-) and then pull on Atsumu's collar, bringing his face close to you. His expression is of confusion.

"[Y/n]?" 

You scan his face, sure, sure, he looks like Osamu, save from that infuriating grin of his, which is getting bigger by the second, sure, sure, you find him attractive so why is it you don't particularly feel anything-

You freeze when you feel Osamu's face next to yours, his chin resting on your shoulder, his body leaning towards your back.

"What're you scannin' that dummy's face for?" You resist a shiver when his words are directly spoken to your ear and you immediately push both twins away from you with a huff.

_ Get your shit together, girl! It's just hair dye!! _

"Just checkin' if the hair dye didn't damage yer brains." You stick your tongue out at them before speed walking the heck out of there. You miss how the twins look at each other, Atsumu pushing Osamu's shoulder quite harshly, making the latter smile and push back.

"Lucky I didn't bleach my hair then."

"Oh, shut up."


	3. Chapter 3

The next, next week, it's the twins' turn to gawk as they are reminded that Suna, Rintarou is in fact, in the same class as you.

Sitting next to you.

Having lunch with you.

Showing you some stupid shit on his phone, making you laugh.

The Miya twins are peeved, sure, because they are your pals, not Suna! Granted that Osamu's jealousy stems from something more than a friend's and Atsumu's jealousy stems from his pride as your sole male bestfriend-slash-bro (he feels like he has that title, particularly cause his twin brother wants more than that with you), they're your pals!

They immediately break away from your classroom door, annoyed, before your classmates make a commotion (as they always do because they think the Miya twins are celebrities) but it doesn't miss Suna's eyes.

"So, you've been friends with the Miya twins since you were kids, huh?" He asks, genuinely interested as to how the two chaotic forces that are his teammates managed to befriend a somewhat normal girl. (Still subject to change though as he's only known you for a few weeks, having been your seatmate.)

"Yep! Buncha troublemakers. If they bother ya, just tell me, I'll give 'em a good beating!" You grin and somehow Suna thinks it resembles the grin that Atsumu has. Which was creepy. Are you actually like a third twin? He shakes his head.

Atsumu only ever blabbers about volleyball, throws insults at his twin, and intimidates practically everyone in the team but there is the occasional mention of you here and there. Osamu's much quieter but he's pretty much the same, minus on the intimidating teammates part and more on the talking about you part. Naturally, he’ll be curious as to who this mysterious girl is.

That's why Suna didn't have any qualms talking to you once he figured out that you are the muse of those annoying brothers. Heck, it'd be even creepy at how much he knows about you because he picks up quite a few facts here and there because the twins never shut up.

Though, your company isn't bad either. 

He watches as you pick up an omelette from his bento in such a natural, unbothered way that if he wasn't so attentive then he wouldn't even notice that you just took his food. It reminds him of Osamu in a way...

His brows furrow. Are you like some hybrid of the twins? 

"Su-chan, if you continue staring at me and not eating, I'll pick your bento clean!" You giggle and he only stares again for a few seconds before going back to eat. You give some weird nicknames too.

"Oh right. Aran-senpai said you were the one who gave that 'Samu and 'Tsumu nicknames of theirs." 

Your eyes lights up at this and he doesn't know why but he internally pats himself on the back for making you a little bit happy.

"Oh yeah!! Aran-senpai’s name sounds like a foreign name, doesn't it?!" 

Suna deadpans at you. He's pretty sure he's heard that from the Miyas once too.

"Are you sure you aren't the third twin?"

"Huh?"

“Nothing.”

***

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Suna, Rintarou-kun," Atsumu drawls as Suna enters the gym, his hands on his waist. Osamu looks on, obviously internally greeting Suna with that same condescending tone Atsumu used. Suna resists the urge to roll his eyes. Stupid twins.

"Getting close with our [Y/n], ain't we?" Suna hates how accusatory the tone is, like befriending you is some sort of crime against them. He's working on something snarky to say until Aran chimes in, interested.

"Oh right, Suna's in the same class as [Surname]-chan, huh?" 

Somehow, Suna's glad that he didn't have the chance to snap back at Atsumu because that'll mean he gets caught in their trap. And he'd rather not have beef with them over his new-found friend and classmate.

"You know her personally, senpai?" 

"Not really but the twins talk about her enough that it seems I do," Aran smiles ruefully and Suna hates how he gets it. 

"Is she weird too?" The next question Aran throws at him catches him off-guard but alas, once again...

He gets why Aran asks him that.

"Yeah, she's kinda weird too."

"What'dya mean _'too'_ as if yer implyin' she's weird ‘cause we're friends?!" Atsumu's quick to jump on the defensive, glaring at Suna and Aran.

"She ain't weird," Osamu says, looking a little bit offended, choosing to defend you, unlike his twin who's more focused on self-preservation.

Suna takes note of that.

"You're talking about [Surname] again? Wouldn't it be wiser to use the time talking about her by practicing instead?" 

A chill runs up their spine as Kita appears, staring at them with those practical eyes of his. The twins look at each other, stiff, while Suna proceeds to go pick up some volleyball balls in an attempt to escape.

"Yes, sir."

***

That afternoon, Osamu sucked a lot at practice. Apparently, Atsumu went and said something mean again and Osamu snapped. Suna sent you the video of them brawling.

Which is why you're in the Miya household, bowing to their mother as she lets you head to the twins' room, apologizing once again for her troublemaker sons and how you're such a blessing to them and all. You smile at her and tell her that she's so amazing to be able to keep the two in line, feeling accomplished when Mrs. Miya blushes at your praise.

You sigh on your way to their room. It isn't the first time they fought like that, heck, you've watched them go at it since time immemorial but man, _really_? 

Why'd they fight like that when you went home early? You wish you saw Osamu cuss Atsumu in real time.

You knock at their bedroom door, faintly hearing the sound of video games going off and you figure that they'd already made up.

"What?" A muffled voice comes behind the door, possibly Osamu, and you smile softly.

"Are ya guys decent?"

Sounds of clambering follow next and seconds later, the door's already swung open and Osamu's standing before you, face full of bandages.

"Oh yikes," you say reflexively, reaching out your hands so you can pull his face closer to you, examining him. He blushes a little and breaks away, hoping to not give his twin another thing to annoy him with.

"What'dya doin' here?" Osamu asks, making a gesture to invite you inside their room and once you're inside, he closes the door. 

"Oh! Big yikes!" You say as you saw that Atsumu's face has taken more damage and he only pouts at you. You're considerate enough not to laugh and tell him that Osamu's won this round but you make a mental note to use this against him when the need arises.

You glance at the tv screen inside their room, seeing that they're playing Pro Evolution Soccer. You shrug, leaning down to Atsumu so you can check his face too. He doesn't shrug you off like Osamu did so when you're satisfied, you stand up straight then head out for the door.

"Where ya goin'?" Osamu asks and you look at him quizzically.

"Home. I just came to check up on ya morons." 

"Already?" Atsumu asks and you roll your eyes.

"What? You guys gettin' clingy with me now?"

"Naw."

"M'not clingy."

"Yeah, just go home already [Y/n], who needs you?"

The twins stick their tongues out at you and you giggle, sticking your tongue back at them.

"Take care of yourselves," you mutter as you exit the room and close the door behind you. Once the soft padding of your footsteps subsides, the twins let out a sigh and then look at each other.

"Yer the clingy one, 'Samu."

"M'not, 'Tsumu."

Though both of them can’t exactly imagine not having you by their side.


	4. Chapter 4

"What? Cheerleadin'?" Osamu leans in more towards you as if he didn't quite hear you right the first time. You smile as you're practically skipping in excitement on your way to school. 

"Yeah! I'm gonna go try out! Don't ya think it'd be fun?" 

Atsumu only chortles. 

"Ha! If they accept a scrub like ya, it'd be the funniest thing in my life!"

"Yer life is the funniest thing in my life! Yer a joke!" You retort back, not wanting to be outdone.

"Whatd'ya say?!"

Osamu stares at you, pursing his lips, already imagining you  _ again _ in the cheerleading outfit and sure, it looks nice, and sure, he's jacked off  _ once _ to that mental image that he conjured but is this really happening?

He finds it that he doesn't really like the idea.

Still, when you turn to him and smile excitedly like that, he feels guilty about not liking the idea because isn't love supposed to be selfless? So why the heck is he feeling so selfish right now? 

Osamu frowns. He's scared. It's the same thing with Suna. He's scared that you'll catch the attention of other boys or that you'll be interested in another guy. So far, you haven't shown interest in dating and the like, only ever talking about celebrity crushes and whatnot and he's glad for it but also suspicious because aren't girls your age supposed to be into that even if just a little? 

Though he figures boys his age should be too and he _IS_ interested in dating you, he just feels like he shouldn't act on it just yet. He's fortunate enough that Atsumu does not see you in that way but his twin brother did admit that he liked you sometime back in middle school then decided it ain't worth the investment and he'd rather have you as a buddy forever.

Which was another thing to think about. He's scared of ruining your friendship.

Though he is relieved that Atsumu gave up because he didn't want to take risks because Osamu doesn't know how he'll deal with having his twin brother as a rival even in love. It'll piss him off so much if Atsumu manages to sweep you away by your feet before he could.

(It'll hurt a lot too.)

"'Samu?" You look at him doe-eyed because apparently he just missed like half of what you're saying. He swallows and he could feel Atsumu staring at him just beside you.

"Sorry, what was it again?"

You fidget with the ends of your blazer.

"You don't think it's a bad idea, don't you?" You ask, unsure, and it squeezes his heart because he knows that if he opposes it, you're gonna back out.

"I think you'll do great," he mutters and tousles your hair, which makes you smile and in turn, makes him smile too.

Yeah, it's better when you're happy, after all. He can deal with fending off other boys, it's not like he hasn't been doing it for years already.

"Ha! Don't lie to her 'Samu! She's gonna get a big head and underestimate the cheerleadin' squad!" Atsumu's quick to play the devil's advocate and you scoff at him, knocking your body against his in an attempt to throw him off but Atsumu plants his feet firmly on the ground this time, pushing your body back while you insist on pushing at him. Osamu just watches you two, amused, until you let go of all of the force and run to Osamu, making Atsumu fall on the ground.

You and Osamu laugh, pointing at him and calling him a scrub while Atsumu fumes at you two.

***

You get accepted in the cheerleading squad much to Osamu's happiness and chagrin.

***

You have practice in the afternoon too which means you go home at the same time as they do but the twins like to stay back a little later than everybody does, pushing the limits when it comes to their capabilities. 

Which is why it comes as a shock to Osamu when Suna suddenly looks at him and says-

"I'm walking [Y/n] home today."

-and leaves.

He drops the ball he's holding, which Atsumu picks up as it rolled towards his way.

"Uh oh! Ya better work quick, bro, or Suna's gonna steal yer girl," Atsumu snickers, already over the fact that Suna's being buddy-buddy with you because it's been proven that at the end of the day, Atsumu still holds the crown of being your boy bestfriend. 

(He saw your contacts and his name on it was ''Tsumbestie' while Suna was just plain old 'Rin-chan'.)

(Osamu's contact name was 'Samuscrub'.)

(You should work on your contact list.)

Osamu stares at the gym door Suna just left out of, completely silent and Atsumu slightly worries that this actually might have broken his twin brother. Before he could take a step towards his other half, Osamu just shrugs before stalking towards the court. He looks at Atsumu and Atsumu finds it creepy how calm Osamu is despite the circumstances.

Osamu raises an eyebrow. 

"What're ya doin'? Get over here and set for me already."

Atsumu stares at Osamu, trying to decipher what the hell is going on because he has a bad feeling about this. Still, he steps inside the court too and, as he's already holding a ball, looks at Osamu to suggest he's good to go.

Osamu does a run-up and as Atsumu sets the ball, the former spikes it so hard to the other side that it creates such an amazing sound upon impact. Atsumu smiles as he almost shivers from the goosebumps that just gave him.

"One more time."

Miya, Osamu is pissed beyond volition. 


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Osamu offers to walk you home just before you part ways for your designated classrooms. You're confused about the sudden invitation but agreed anyway. Not like he even needed to ask. He could just show up outside your club room, tell you that you guys are going home, and you would've gone with it with little to no resistance.

You still find it a little weird though. What about practice? What about Atsumu? Why today of all days? Did he have something he needed to do? 

Your eyebrows are furrowed when you go to your seat, Suna immediately noticing the troubled look you have so early in the day. Nonetheless, he greets you politely and you snap away from your thoughts momentarily, greeting him back with a smile.

"What's the matter?" He asks when you start biting your lower lip, a quirk he noticed you unconsciously did when you're in deep thought or when something is worrying you. He doesn't know why he knows these things. Don't ask him. He's totally not observing you intently so he can get info that will make it seem like you guys are closer than you actually are so he can rile the twins up.

Especially Osamu. Suna noticed pretty early on that Osamu liked you way more than Atsumu does.

"'Samu asked if we can go home together today. I mean it ain't weird but he didn't say 'we' so I think 'Tsumu's going to stay back," you explain, distressed for reasons you can’t fathom, "Does he need to do something? I've never walked home with just either of the two. Well, I guess I walked with 'Tsumu alone to school one time when 'Samu had a pretty bad stomach ache and couldn't even get up-"

Suna tunes out your rambling (he found it that you ramble about the twins as much as the twins ramble about you) and he has to stop a smile from breaking out because this is all so amusing for him. It seems that what he said yesterday worked as intended and now Osamu's taking matters into his own hands. Guess every guy is an enemy when you like a girl. Suna has no romantic interest in you at all, just thought that it'd be funny to take advantage of that fact just to piss Osamu off. Atsumu's prone to exploding but Osamu takes a little while before he does. And everytime Osamu does, it's always a treat.

"First, ya offer to walk me home and now 'Samu? Is this some kind of scheme of the volleyball club? If Kita-senpai or Aran-senpai offers to walk me home tomorrow then I might just have a little breakdown." You pout and give him a suspicious look, making Suna finally let out an amused chuckle, ruffling your hair fondly. He has no romantic interest in you but you're still his dear friend. An amusing friend that he just happens to occasionally use to spite the Miya brothers.

"Don't overthink it. Just don't be surprised if he keeps at it." He walks back to his own desk, carefully sitting down on his chair. 

You look at him incredulously. 

"You know somethin', don't ya?!"

"No idea, [Y/n]."

"Rin-chan!"

"No idea at all, [Y/n]."

***

Suna smiles coyly at Osamu when the twin goes to the clubroom the same time everybody usually does, changing out of practice clothes with a frown directed to the sly middle blocker.

"Going somewhere, Osamu?"

"Shut the fuck up, Suna."

***

Osamu shows up outside your clubroom though you didn't expect to find out via other members of the cheerleading club squealing and asking who amongst you is the lucky one that’s being waited on by freaking  _ MIYA, OSAMU _ .

Aya, who has no interest whatsoever and has been familiar with you and the brothers since you all went to the same elementary and middle school together, points at you and no matter how used you are to girls glaring at you because you're the, as they dubbed you,  _ 'apple of the twins' eyes _ ', you cower under the gaze of your fellow cheerleaders. They're kind people you swear, some having a little attitude, but  _ oh goodness, you're sweating- _

"I have to go now." You force a smile as you power yourself out of the door, basically sprinting before you hold Osamu by the arm and yank him away from their sight. Osamu's face is understandably a confused one and you just give him a look that says  _ 'I'll explain later, let's just get out of here' _ .

It's weird how he got something so specific but then you three have developed some sort of telepathic ability over the years so he just nods, ignoring the pleasant tingling on his arm where your little hand held him.

***

"So what's all that about?" Osamu says when the both of you exit the school gates, the warm hue of the setting sun greeting the both of you beyond the horizon. You dramatically let out a sigh as if you've been holding your breath the entire time.

"Uh, the usual? People freakin' out about you like you're some kind of celebrity." You scowl at him, squeezing his arm with the one hand still holding him in an intent to hurt him. He winces even though it didn't hurt at all.

"Ha. What? I've been mistaken as your boyfriend again or something?" Osamu says, equal parts curious as to how you'll react and what you'll say about it. He's glad that he's mastered the ability of acting nonchalant because the thought of not being your actual boyfriend actually physically hurts him. 

He can feel a little bit of hope fluttering in his chest though when he notices the tip of your ears turning pink.

"Somethin' like that," you mutter, trying to sound nonchalant too but you aren't really good at it, much like his twin. Sometimes- a lot of times actually- people tell him that you three are so alike and he usually disagrees but there really are moments when he thinks that he and his twin brother must have rubbed off on you too much.

Or you rubbed off on them.

(It's an equivalent exchange.)

"Geez, what'd they say if Rin-chan showed up there yesterday too? He, at least had the mind to wait for me somewhere far away-" 

"Why'd he walk ya home?" 

Osamu cuts you off and you don't know why but you detect a hint of annoyance in his tone despite his face remaining passive. You don't miss how the muscles in his arm tighten, shoulders tense as if he's bracing himself for something. You bite your lower lip because you suddenly feel guilty about something. You have no idea what that something’s about but just…  _ something _ .

"I dunno. He just offered and I said okay. I didn't have anythin’ to do anyway and it was already so late, it couldn't hurt to have company." You don't know why you're explaining, you could have stopped at the second sentence and it'd be sufficient. At least that's where you'll stop if it was Atsumu that you were with right now.

Is Osamu...? That can’t be.

You suddenly feel uneasy, a sinking feeling at the pit of your stomach.  _ Stop hoping, [Y/n], it’ll be really bad for your heart later. _ Does he think you and Suna are dating? Maybe he’s a bit annoyed because he thinks you kept the  _ ‘relationship’ _ a secret from him. Is this why he’s here beside you, walking you home? You clear your throat, eager to confront him about it.

“What? Ya think we’re datin’ or somethin’?” You pout and Osamu grimaces. 

“I just asked, it seemed a bit sudden so I was curious.”

“Well, we’re not. Geez, ‘Samu, you see me with a guy once and ya start jumpin’ to conclusions.” You huff and let go of his arm. For a moment he internally panics because what if he made you mad but the look in your face said otherwise. You’re looking pretty calm. He shrugs, ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. That he just screwed up. But man, hearing you talk about Suna is oddly annoying to him.

Maybe, this jealousy is unhealthy.

He leans his body towards you, rubbing his head with yours like some kind of cat and you try your darndest not to just break into laughter because Osamu knows that he just made you upset and is trying to win you back. You pout more, shooting him a look as you move away but he grabs you in a side hug and gives you that puppy-eyes look that he seems to only use on you. You grimace, looking away but he’s insistent in blocking your line of vision so after a few minutes of actively avoiding looking at him and failing, you just scoff and smile.

“Yer such an idiot,” you say as you smack his arms that are currently trapping you in his embrace. He smiles back before letting go but it isn’t long before a hand sneaks up to hold you by the wrist again. You three had always held hands when you were kids but that changed along the way with hormones and puberty making you all feel weird about it. There’s the fact that people gave you judging looks too and adults teasing how you should pick one of the twins cause it’ll be really unfair if you hoard them both.

As if you’re given a choice. You know in your heart that the either of the twins are way out of your league. You look at Osamu.

Especially him.

“Geez, yer so defensive. [Y/n]. I just asked why Suna walked you home,” he says, looking ahead now. You ignore the warmth you feel where his hand touches your skin. You really wish you could hold hands with him and call him yours. You really wish you could stay inside his hug and tell him everything you feel for him. But, alas, a part of you really wishes you could get over this crush too. You huff indignantly.

“We both know where that line of questioning is gonna lead.” You squint, giving him an accusatory look and he just shrugs, stone faced as ever. If it was Atsumu, that guy’s gonna put up a pathetic fight, that habitual liar.

You both are quiet, enjoying the comfortable silence, as you make your way to the neighbourhood until you remember the question that’s been plaguing you all day. You use your hand to tap his hand that is currently holding your wrist.

“Wait, ‘Samu, so why’re  _ you _ walking me home?”

Osamu doesn’t even flinch even if his mind is going overdrive. _ Shit _ , he didn’t think about an excuse.

“What? I can’t walk you home now if I wanted to?" Osamu feigns being offended in an attempt to avoid explaining himself and you glare at him, knocking his shoulder with yours.

"You know that's not it. What about 'Tsumu?" 

Osamu tries his best to not roll his eyes. Of course, you’d ask about his other half. It’s annoying actually because even if he knows he and Atsumu are inseparable, even you, who has been with them for years and knows them well individually, still occasionally  _ always _ group them together. Like the two can’t do something without the other one being present. It’s kind of true but still-

“He’s still at the gym practicing, of course.”

“Then why aren’t ya practicing’ with him?” You ask, almost accusatory. He sighs.

“I’m not as hungry as him when it comes to volleyball. I’d much rather go home with you,” he mutters nonchalantly and you gape at him because  _ did he just seriously say that last part _ ?

He looks back at you and raises an eyebrow as if he has no idea what the implications of what he just said are. Or maybe he didn’t really mean anything deeper by it.  _ Darn, little heart, stop beating so fast!  _

“Wh- is this gonna be a regular thing then?” You swallow, trying not to fidget as Osamu’s eyes stare right through your soul. He’s always been one to maintain eye contact, never wavering, so proud and immovable. Atsumu’s the same but sometimes he’s much shiftier. 

“You don’t want to?” He asks in that certain tone of his, like a child trying to coax someone to give into what he wants. You find that you’re unable to look at him further so you look ahead on the road, letting your hair fall on the side of your face so he doesn’t see just how happy he’s making you feel.

“Not that I don’t want to. It’s just that, why all of a sudden?” You ask incredulously, shifting your gears to be annoying instead but, you truly wonder what caused this sudden decision. Is it because of Suna? You’re pretty sure Rin-chan doesn’t know about your crush on the quieter twin so why would he deliberately plan all this? Also, it doesn’t really make any sense if he did. It’d be a hell of a plan if it is. Why would that make Osamu want to go walk home with you? What’s it matter to Suna? Wait, you’re pretty sure no one knows about this crush and it’s not like it’s noticeable either. (Well, you hope it isn’t-)

You frown. Everything is a mess inside your head right now.

“Do I need a reason why?” Osamu suddenly slides down his hand holding your wrist, smoothly intertwining your hands together, using such a bold move to keep you from asking further questions. You feel a spark shoot up your arm and you find yourself looking towards Osamu again in disbelief.

“What’re you doing?!”

Osamu grins.

“Doesn’t this take you back?” 

“Yeah, but we’re not kids anymore! What if someone sees and misunderstands?” You grip his hand back anyway, taking note of how warm it is and how bigger it is compared to when you last held hands. You feel a sudden blooming on your chest, butterflies fluttering inside your stomach. You really aren’t kids anymore. You suddenly feel like crying as you gaze at Osamu’s soft and kind eyes. He’s always looked at you like this. It makes you feel really special.

“Then let them misunderstand. It’s not like we’re doin’ anything wrong.” He smiles and shrugs, looking back towards the road and if you were not as panicked as you feel now, you would’ve noticed the blush creeping up on his ears and neck.

“Yeah, I know but what if a girl you like sees? It’ll ruin yer chances, ya scrub.” You sulk, squeezing his hands in an effort to hurt him. He senses and squeezes back, making you yelp in pain.

“‘Samu, the hell?!” You glare at him and he frowns.

“That’s for uttering stupid things, [Y/n]. Why? You worried a guy  _ you _ like will see us?” He asks, turning the question back to you.

“I don’t like anyone!” You almost shout, ever so defensive. As if you’ll admit to the guy you like that you  _ do _ like him right here, right now. You’d rather die.

He smirks, satisfied (and also a bit relieved). “Then I don’t see why not.”

You look down on your feet. This crush will really be the death of you. You really hope you get over it soon because you have to remember your place.

You steal a glance at your intertwined hands. Soon, this large hand of his will be holding another girl’s hand. Maybe one that has prettier and softer hands than you do.

And you’ll realize once again what you knew from the beginning…

You’re nothing more but a childhood friend.


	6. Chapter 6

“‘Samu, yer so lame! Ya really be goin’ home with [Y/n] everyday now? No more late night practices?” Atsumu whines and Osamu really wants to sock him in the face because his twin has asked this question for the 7th time now. As if Osamu's answer will change.

Osamu just makes a face towards Atsumu, choosing to not even humor the other twin with words. Atsumu pouts and continues to whine again, most of their team members glancing at the two nervously because Atsumu is obviously in a bad mood but, more importantly, Osamu looks like he’s about to explode.

Even Kita just lets the two be, thinking it’s best for them to sort it out by themselves during this break but if they start a fight then he might just have to put his feet down.

“ _ Everyday? _ ” Atsumu emphasizes and Osamu could only sigh, defeated.

“Man, what do ya want from me?”

“Dude, couldn’t ya make it every other day? The Interhigh is comin’ soon and we need all the practice!”

“Then how about [Y/n]?” Osamu scowls and Atsumu scrunches his face up in annoyance. 

“She’s a big girl! She can handle herself and it's not like this is the first time she’s goin’ home alone!” Atsumu throws his hand up in disbelief because it’s true. She can beat the twins up no problem but it may be because they’re unusually soft on you but still! You’re a strong independent woman!

Osamu’s about to lose his temper but he just sighs and turns his back on his twin, trying to calm down. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs again.

“Hey, don’t turn yer back on me!”

“Shut up for a moment, ya absolute scrub!” 

“But it’s true! Don’t deny it! It’s just because ya like-”

“‘Tsumu, she never goes home that late! It’s the first time she’s been in a club and-”

“I’ll take her home whenever you stay back, Osamu, now could you twins shut up?” Suna pipes up from the side, taking a swig from his water bottle, apparently having enough of the twins’ arguments. Osamu nearly rips his hair out of stress but Atsumu only beams in happiness, even giving Suna a thumbs up and patting the middle blocker in the back. Suna just rolls his eyes because they’re also getting on his nerves. He didn’t know this would be such a big deal for Atsumu too, he only meant to annoy Osamu.

He guesses it’s sort of his fault that now it’s kind of tearing the team apart.

(Atsumu didn’t set for Osamu at all and they took this break because Osamu was starting to get pissed and Atsumu was starting to become extremely petty.)

Osamu grabs Suna off Atsumu’s grasp ( _ “Hey!” _ ) and shoves him near the gym door, cornering him alone. Kita keeps a close eye on them, watching out for any sort of fight but once he catches a glimpse of Osamu’s face, he figures there’s nothing to worry about so he only shoots a look at Atsumu who made an attempt to follow them. 

(Atsumu backed off quickly.) 

Suna only stares at Osamu’s troubled face, scanning the twin’s face. He sighs.

“I don’t like [Y/n] the way you like her so you don’t have to worry about anything,” Suna simply says and pats Osamu’s arm as some form of comfort, walking away with the water bottle in hand. Osamu looks at the ceiling and sighs. _ Suna knows, huh... _

Is it really that bad if he liked you more than volleyball?

He clicks his tongue. Atsumu would never understand.

***

“I thought it’ll be ‘Samu today. What’re ya doin’ here, Rin-chan?” You skip towards Suna, grinning at him despite the confusion and he just shrugs.

“Or yer here for someone else and I’m just assuming yer here for me?” You immediately frown and put a hand on your chin as if to think and he can’t help but snort.

“Atsumu was being a big baby so now Osamu and I will be alternating with walking you home.” Suna motions for you to get moving already as he starts to walk. You stumble as you catch up beside him, still frowning because you’re confused.

“Why’re ya guys walkin’ me home anyway? Did it come up during practice or somethin’? Ya guys are weird.”

Suna decides to not just answer at all lest he says something that contradicts whatever Osamu chooses to say. You only shrug and he’s thankful that you didn’t press further because he honestly doesn’t want to be in cahoots with Osamu. Especially when it’s about hiding the twin’s crush on you.

He’d rather reveal it to be honest just to be a little shit.

“I can walk myself home, ya know. If ya think it’s too much trouble, ya don’t have ta do this, Rin-chan.”

He turns to look at you and you only tilt your head and smile at him. He narrows his eyes and then flicks you on your forehead, making you pout.

“What was that?!”

“I enjoy walking home with you so just stop talking.”

You gawk at Suna, genuinely surprised and you’re so touched that you actually start tearing up. Suna looks back at you and gets startled.

“Why are you tearing up?!”

“Awww, I’m so happy! Ya love me, don’t ya!?” You jump at him and hug his arm, laughing as he struggles to get out of your hold. Suna eventually gives up and just sighs, ruffling your hair with his free hand.

“You’re my friend after all.”

“I love ya too, Rin-chan!”

“Ssshh!”

***

“Inarizaki is really amazing, huh! I’m really excited ta cheer and help ya guys during your matches for the Interhigh!” You laugh as you skip towards your shoe locker, the twins just right behind you. You didn’t really question them much about what transpired during practice to make Suna walk you home and for them to decide to alternate since they’re so evasive about it. You figured that stressing about it is just a waste of time. 

“Yeah, that’s why we need all the practice we can get! Aran-senpai and the others already led the team to the nationals, it’s our turn now!” Atsumu glares sideways towards Osamu, who did nothing and just stares right ahead with a blank expression. 

“I’m already practicin’ with ya, could ya shut up?”

They’re about to separate from you, heading towards their own shoe lockers, that is until you yelp in surprise as a letter falls to your feet. Osamu’s eyes widens, fearing the worst. Atsumu on the other hand is _ ecstatic _ , momentarily forgetting that his own twin harbors feelings for you.

“Is it a love letter?!”

“Sshh, ‘Tsumu, yer so noisy!” You reprimand him but it’s pretty obvious that you’re flustered, even almost hitting your head in the lockers as you bend down to pick it up. The twins crowd behind you, eager to confirm but you just turn to face them, frowning as you clutch the letter close to your chest.

“Um, privacy please?” You glare at them and they back off but they remain in front of you, still waiting for whatever the letter says. Actually, Osamu’s starting to feel sick. He sticks his hands inside his pockets so you don’t notice how he’s actually shaking.  _ Fuck _ , he’s never been this nervous. Not even before or during a volleyball match. If anything, you’re the only one that ever makes him nervous. Terrified even.

_ What sort of love potion did you give to me when we were kids, [Y/n]? _

You glance at them one last time before meekly opening the envelope, peeking at the content of the letter. You read it, the twins following the movement of your eyes and after a few minutes of silence, you sigh and hand them the letter. 

Osamu grabs it first (Atsumu’s never seen him move so fast.) and they read it together.

_ ‘Hello. Could you meet me at the courtyard near the giant tree after classes? I have something I wish to tell you. I’ll be waiting, [Surname]-chan. See you. -Fukoshiro, Aito’ _

“Fukoshiro? What class is he in?” Atsumu furrows his eyebrows, wracking his brain for information. He’s pretty sure he knows everyone in his class and he’s also pretty sure there’s no Fukoshiro in there. (He hopes anyway.)

Even Osamu was furiously thinking of who it could be and he’s also pretty sure there’s no Fukoshiro in his class. If there was,  _ oh boy _ .

“He’s not in my class either.”

“Not in mine too,” you say as you put on your indoor shoes and store your outdoor ones, stretching and reaching for your bag to sling over your shoulder.

“He’s either in class 1 or 2 then,” Atsumu says before the letter was snatched away from him. You tuck the letter into your bag and scoff at them.

“I don’t think it’s a confession. He’ll probably just ask a favor or somethin’.” 

Atsumu nudges you cheekily as they walk towards their own shoe lockers; it’s your turn to follow behind and wait for them this time. 

“Why write a letter? He could’ve just excused ya in class if he needed somethin’.” Osamu scoffs as he taps his indoor shoes in place, almost chucking his outdoor shoes inside his locker in annoyance. Atsumu only spares him a glance before directing his attention back to you.

“Ya don’t even know him, why would he ask  _ you _ a favor out of all people?” Atsumu’s making sense for once and you can’t help but kick him in the shin in annoyance. He hisses, immediately kneeling to clutch his left leg and cursing you under his breath.

You pout as the three of you walk towards your respective classes once Atsumu recovers from the pain. You shrug.

“Uh, maybe somethin’ about the cheerleadin’ club? Or maybe it’s a prank.” 

“What? Is the cliché of the popular cheerleaders bullyin’ ya happening? Are they pranking ya now?” Atsumu narrows his eyes, obviously ready to defend you if that’s the case.

“Do ya want us to go with ya then? Just in case it’s a prank.” Osamu offers because he, too, would like to put the girls in their place if that’s the case but also, in the off-chance that it really is a guy confessing, he would like to know who the bastard is.

You shake your head and roll your eyes at them. But really, you’re so very grateful because they’re your friends. So very grateful to know that the twins always have your back.

“I love ya guys but you don’t need ta, I can handle it. Also, if it’s a confession, I didn’t make this much of a fuss when  _ you guys _ received love letters!”

“That’s different!” Osamu defends.

“Also, it’s not as if we accepted their confessions!” Atsumu follows up and you only giggle because it’s true. The two are volleyball meatheads through and through.

Osamu looks at you and tries to keep his face devoid of emotion as he asks a seemingly unloaded question-

“How about you? Will ya accept the confession?”

Atsumu can see the fear in Osamu’s eyes no matter how hard he tries to conceal it.

You look up at the ceiling as the three of you stop in front of your classroom door, the twins waiting for your response. You tilt your head and smile at them.

“I’ll think about it.”

You wave goodbye and enter your classroom.

They stare at your retreating form and as they both walk away, Atsumu faintly hears Osamu muttering curses under his breath.

***

You do think about it even during classes. It’s not like this is the first ever confession you’ve received. There was one back in middle school but you were laced with anxiety and trust issues back then because of the twins so you ended up turning the boy down. And besides, you suspected you liked Osamu back then but never really thought much about it.

You bite your lower lip.

You  _ still _ like Osamu.

The feelings you’ve tucked so carefully during middle school, so careful that it might have not existed at all, were awakened and strengthened when you saw Osamu with his dyed hair. And now it’s just a full blown mess of feelings that you want to get rid off.

You really don’t want to lose Osamu and by extension, Atsumu. The twins are very special to you and they’ve been there since time immemorial, you don’t think you can handle being separated from them just because you like one of them.

You’re pretty sure Osamu wouldn’t think much about it and still act normally around you even if he did find out but _ you’ll _ think much about it and it’ll hurt-

What if you dated this Fukoshiro guy to forget about Osamu?

You shake your head, That’s a bit unfair for him, isn’t it? You’ll be taking advantage of him. But what if you also develop feelings for Fukoshiro along the way? That’d be a win-win.

You sigh.  _ Come on, [Y/n]. You don’t even know the guy and this is what you’re already thinking of him. _

It is something to consider though. Maybe you can propose the idea, say that you can try with him so if it doesn’t work out, you’ll know that everything was consensual. That he knows why you’ve agreed to go out with him in the first place.

You just want to get rid of your feelings for Osamu.

“Rin-chan, do ya know any Fukoshiro, Aito?” You whisper beside you, Suna only looking at you with a side-eye. He shrugs.

“I don’t. Why?”

“Nothin’.”

Gosh, why does nobody know this dude? You bite the inside of your cheek. 

You really hope Fukoshiro is a good guy.

***

“How’d the confession go?” Osamu asks as he watches you walk slowly towards him, your hair still a bit damp from showering after cheerleading practice. 

He swears he could feel his heart stop once you smile and say-

“Well, let’s just say, you and Rin-chan don’t need ta walk me home anymore.”

Osamu really hopes you don’t notice through his face that his heart just shattered.


	7. Chapter 7

Fukoshiro- no- _Aito_ turns out to be a very nice and sweet guy. Gentle even. Or maybe it’s because you’ve only known him for a couple of weeks and as Osamu said, “Guys are only nice in the beginning of the relationship.”

“That’s awfully pessimistic of ya,” you chided him and he only rolled his eyes. Atsumu backed you up and together, you two basically bullied Osamu for being girlfriendless.

(“You don’t have a girlfriend too!” Osamu yelled after Atsumu and it wasn’t long before the two were chasing each other, running circles around you as you laughed the afternoon away.)

You look up at the brown haired male beside you, a little taller than you are but a little shorter than the twins. He has soft and almost feminine blue eyes and when he catches you staring at him, he smiles softly. You smile back.

He seems like he’s on the shy side based on how he acted when he confessed to you. He apologized first for the sudden letter and then went on a flustered ramble, stuttering most of his words, baring all his feelings in front of you. Truth to be told, it made your heart flutter because he’s not bad looking and the way he speaks so politely just squeezed your heart in the right way. You felt bad when he sighed and just ended his speech with a half-hearted “ _You don’t really need to respond, I just wanted to tell you_.” when you took too long to respond because you were just staring at him, unable to process that this is real and this guy genuinely likes you.

You felt worse when you explained your predicament and he just gave a sad smile but agreed with your offer anyway. He’s been such a gentleman since then, never invading your personal bubble and never initiating any public display of affection regardless of you two being, technically, lovers.

You get along well for the most part and he’s pleasant to speak with. You don’t have any problems with him really because most of your friends are guys and cruder than he is anyway. (See: Miya twins and Suna.)

You learn that he’s in class 1-2 and he’s a member of the cooking club when he went to your classroom earlier and gave you cookies. You almost melted by the gesture and you found yourself tip toeing and giving him a kiss on the cheek. He flushed and excused himself quickly, smiling and telling you that he’s glad you liked it. You only remembered that Suna is your classmate when you walked back to your desk and he’s openly gawking at you.

“What was that?” He asked.

“My boyfriend.” You grinned and opened the small plastic bag the cookies were in. You took a bite and you melted for real that time because it’s heavenly. “Do you want one?”

Suna nodded and took one but his face was still of confusion.

Boyfriend.

You reach for Aito’s hand and intertwine yours with his. He looks at you in shock at first but when you grin, he smiles back and squeezes your hand.

You think it’ll turn out alright.

“I like you, [Y/n].”

You’ll forget about Osamu in no time.

***

“Dude, what the fuck? [Y/n] has a boyfriend now? How did you fuck up so badly?” That’s the first thing Suna says when he enters the gym and spots Osamu. Osamu’s taken aback at first because _what the hell, did Suna just announce to the whole gym that he has a crush on you_ but when he turns to explain and deny it, he’s shocked at how the whole team’s faces seem to melt in understanding as they stare at Suna.

“So that’s why Osamu’s been so moody,” Aran says first and Osamu just wants to die right there and then. Great. You have a boyfriend, the whole gym knows about this damn crush of his, and Suna basically just announced to everyone that his heart is broken. He doesn’t have a shred of dignity left. He feels like such a scrub.

“How’d ya know?” Atsumu asks as he starts setting a ball repeatedly, not even bothering to look at Suna. Suna doesn’t know why he’s so annoyed but he is because he really wanted for you to end up with Osamu so he can start shit with the twin any day. Well, basically, he can and he can do much worse now because jabs towards a broken heart deals more damage but he’s not about that life. He may act like a little shit towards the twins but he does care for the two to a certain extent. 

“He came by our class during break and handed her cookies. She kissed him on the cheek.”

“Yikes.” Kita lets slip and every head whips towards him because _Kita_ out of all people really said that. Kita only looks back at them with a passive face, not really understanding why he induced such a reaction from the team. Atsumu bursts out laughing. Osamu wants to die.

“The cookies are damn good too,” Suna adds and it gets Osamu’s attention because he wants to try and maybe he can ask you for it later but at the same time- _Ugh!_

“Who’s the lucky guy?” Aran probes and Osamu groans in annoyance, covering his ears because he really doesn’t want to go through this. It’s like when his mom’s barraging him with questions of when he’ll ask you out but this is a hundred times worse because it’s like second family intervention or something and Atsumu’s here to mock him in front of their peers. 

(“Why’re ya only askin’ me?! What ‘bout ‘Tsumu?!” Osamu snaps at his mother and she only scoffs.

“That boy ain’t interested.” Mrs. Miya shoots a look towards Atsumu and he only smiles sheepishly. She looks back at Osamu. “ _You_ , on the other hand. Ya can’t hide anythin’ from me, boy-”

Moms are terrifying.)

“Is he the Fukoshiro, Aito guy?” Suna asks and the twins perk up because why does he know?!

“Suna, are ya like a stalker or somethin’?” Osamu looks at him like he’s disgusting and it takes everything in Suna to not smack the guy square in the face. He settles on only rolling his eyes.

“Dude, is this why yer offerin’ ta walk [Y/n] home? Do ya actually like her too?” Atsumu adds fuel to the fire, always on the same track as his other half and for some odd reason, Suna doesn’t even hold himself back from smacking Atsumu’s arm. The bleached twin yelps in pain and glares at Suna.

“What the fuck was that?!”

“It’s because you’re being an idiot.”

“‘Samu said worse, why aren’t ya hittin’ him?!”

“Anyway.” Suna shrugs. “She asked me a few weeks back if I knew anyone by that name.”

“Oh? So she didn’t know him?” Akagi asks and then begins to laugh, “So ya got beaten by a guy she didn’t even know?”

Osamu blushes and yells in frustration loudly because he’s had enough. He didn’t hear Akagi apologize because of how rude it was and how Atsumu’s basically dying in amusement. Suna snorts a little as well because Akagi had a point.

“Come on, didn’t we have a tournament ta win?!” 

That seems to snap everyone back on track because they start doing their own thing. Osamu kicks Atsumu by the rear, making the latter stop laughing and start complaining instead. Suna pats him on the back and he hates it. He hates it. He hates it.

He breathes in deeply as they all settle inside the court, picking up balls and starting serving practice. He eyes the net and waits for 8 seconds.

One.

He doesn’t need everyone telling him how lame he is for not getting to you before that Fukoshiro guy did.

Two.

Osamu’s fully aware that you’re slipping from his grasp just by the way you smile when you tell him and Atsumu about the guy.

Three.

It hurts really. Even now he feels like his chest is being crushed by stones.

Four.

It’s taking everything for him to not grab you and just bare it all whenever you’re giving them that soul crushing smile.

Five.

To grab you and tell you how much he loves you so much, it’s actually driving him insane.

Six.

So please. Stay with them. Stay with him.

Seven.

He feels like he’ll never get over you. Even if you end up with Fukoshiro or any other guy that isn’t him. Even if he sees you standing on that altar, giving your vows to someone that isn’t him.

Eight.

He throws the ball in the air and jumps.

But for now, he’ll distract himself with volleyball.

***

“Aren’t ya guys kind of insane? What the hell?! I want ta cry!” You jump on the twins’ arms as they exit the court from a match that just ended, startling them both because this is probably the first time that you actually went down from the bleachers to congratulate them. Guess their win made you so happy that you forgot yourself; you’re even still on your cheerleading uniform.

(Which makes Osamu flush but he excuses it as exhaustion when Atsumu smirks at him.)

“Congratulations! Only Itachiyama left and ya guys will be the winners!” You beam at them and they grin back, hugging you back tightly for a brief moment before the three of you break away from each other, each one complaining about the sweat. (You’re sweaty too, it’s hard work cheering, y’know.)

You’re still bursting with joy though so you reach for the twins (Atsumu first then Osamu) and kiss them on the forehead, the two of them so surprised that they couldn’t even process it even after you did it and had already moved on to Suna.

“Rin-chan, congrats!!!” You jump into the middle blockers arms too and he hugs you back albeit a little weakly compared to the twins. You grin at him too and he mutters a thank-you with a small smile. You then hop out of his grasp and go to the other team members to congratulate them too, the twins only watching you in amusement.

“Thank you. I finally officially met ya after all these years,” Aran shakes your hand with a smile and you smile brightly back, shaking his hand back with vigor.

“You did so well out there, Aran-senpai! It’s nice ta finally officially meet ya too! I’ve heard so much about ya!”

Aran thinks that you’re definitely the twins’ friend just by that smile alone. He’s seen you on the bleachers and from afar so many times but this is actually the first time you’ve spoken to him. It seems that you generally like to steer clear of the Miya twins’ volleyball team, often leaving when they as much enter your line of vision outside of matches.

(It’s cause you think it’s the twins’ thing and you don’t want to ruin it by butting in. They’re allowed to have something to themselves… but then Suna became your classmate and welp-!)

“We’ve heard so much about ya too.” Kita appears besides Aran and you immediately straighten up, briefly forgetting your joy and bowing to him in embarrassment.

“Good job out there, Kita-senpai! Thank ya for taking care of the idiots! I’ve heard so much about ya too!” And you did. All of them terrifying. You basically share the same brain cells with the twins so it’ll be no doubt that this senpai will scare the shit out of you too.

“Thank you.” Kita waves his hands and asks you to raise your head. He stares at you with that calculating eyes of his and you don’t know if it’s polite to leave already so you can congratulate the other members as well but he’s still studying you and-

“Osamu’s type, huh…” He mutters under his breath and your eyes widen because you still heard it and… huh?

Aran grabs you by the shoulder and turns you towards Omimi, trying to distract you from that and shooting a look towards Kita. “Well then, I imagine the whole team would like ta shake hands with ya! Yer basically like the team’s manager by how much we know about ya because the twins never shut up.”

That certainly took your mind off that because you look at Aran in shock. You glare at the pair of identical faces coming towards you.

“Hey! Ya gossipin’ behind my back?!” You reprimand them (they deny it albeit a little guiltily) before looking at Omimi, congratulating him with the brightest of smiles and he bows to you, embarrassed. 

“Oh, it’s dad. Yer finally meetin’ him, huh, [Y/n]?” Atsumu teases and Omimi just glares at him. You and Osamu look at him incredulously because did you guys hear him right? You look at Omimi again before pulling Osamu towards you, blocking your mouth with a hand so you can whisper to him.

“That’s ‘Tsumu’s preference?” Though it hardly seems like a whisper because everyone around you probably heard that. Atsumu reddens in anger and explains that it’s because Kita and Omimi look like a married couple when drinking tea together but then Kita appears from behind Aran, making Atsumu immediately shut up. Suna laughs and it’s like comedy central from there on. Once everyone realizes they’re deadbeat tired, everyone goes on their own way and you’re left with the twins, practically passing out on one of the benches.

“Hey, ya guys, straighten up. We should probably get back already.” You rub your tired eyes and yawn. The twins snap awake and yawn too, the two of them going to lean towards you to use you as a pillow since you’re in between them already anyway. You groan in frustration but you don’t have the energy to push them away anymore.

“Where’s yer stupid boyfriend?” Osamu murmurs, half-awake.

“He said he’s busy,” you mutter back and Atsumu snorts.

“What’s he busy ‘bout? Everyone in our school’s practically here ta cheer us on.” Despite Atsumu’s exhaustion, he still manages to think of and say things that have a bit of an edge on them. You whine.

“I dunno, ‘kay? Leave ‘im alone and I don’t have ta always be on his business, y’know.” You adjust your position so their weight can become a little bit bearable but it doesn’t make everything less comfortable so you whine again. “Ya guys are so heavy, get oooofffff.”

“Don’t want ta.”

“M’tired.”

“M’tired too, ya ain’t special.” You snap at Osamu and the two only snicker mischievously, making you grumble again.

“It seems ya ain’t special too because yer boyfriend didn’t even come ta support yer besties.” You shrug Atsumu off because of that and their laughs become even louder, making you pout.

The two would never say it outright but it’s pretty obvious that they don’t really like Aito no matter how much you put a good word for the guy. They’ve met already and the twins were all kinds of rude, making you so upset that the whole shebang ended with you snapping and running away so you could cry in frustration in peace. The twins apologized to you but only to you and from then on, the two would steer clear whenever Aito’s around. Or Aito would steer clear. You apologized for your friends’ behavior and he only smiled, saying he understands why the two are so overprotective. They’ve known you for their whole life after all and it’s not easy to give up their friend to someone who they barely know.

It frustrates you. It’s not like they need to give you up. You’ll still be together even if you guys find people you’ll build a family with. You guys will still be friends even if you went your separate ways once college starts. They’ll always be your bestest friends and they’ll forever hold a special place in your heart.

And if they don’t know Aito then they should make an effort to know him. You sigh. 

Whatever. No matter how much you think about it, nothing will change. The twins are stubborn, much more stubborn than you and it’ll just be frustrating to force them into something they don’t want to do. So fine. If you have to deal with them potentially not getting along with your future husband then so be it.

You’ll make sure to get along well with their wives.

You open your tired eyes. Well, maybe not- _Argh!_

You shake them off, making the twins snap awake too and move away, stretching and yawning as they probably got that temporary energy boost from a minute nap. They stand up and look at you. You follow suit and stretch too, Osamu trying not to stare at how your shirt hitches up a little to show little skin and he only looks away when he feels Atsumu glaring at him.

“Do yer best tomorrow too!” You hit them both in the arm when you’re finished and laugh when they look at you like kicked dogs. They’re probably sore from the game so you rub the spot you hit in apology. “I love ya guys. Good luck!” You give them their hugs again before running off to join the rest of the cheering squad.

They just stare at your retreating back until you’re completely out of sight before looking at each other and grinning. They hug too and ruffle each other’s hair, celebrating in their own way. They eventually pull away from each other and fists bumps, determined grins on their faces.

“Let’s win this tomorrow, yeah?”

“F’course, ya don’t need ta tell me, scrub.”

“Should I thank Fu-koshinuke for takin’ [Y/n] out on dates so ya were forced to practice with me?” Atsumu teases and Osamu pushes his fist against the other twin’s, pissed off.

“Hey, we’re havin’ a moment. Don’t ruin it by mentionin’ Fu-koshinuke.”

They laugh at their own ‘clever’ nickname for your boyfriend, one they never mention when you’re around because you’re sure to whoop their ass if you ever find out.

Suna sighs as he finally emerges from behind the wall, unintentionally eavesdropping because he’s sent to come get the twins but he didn’t want to disrupt such a moment so he waited where they couldn’t see him. How stupid.

“Hey, you guys coming?” Suna asks and the twins look at him with a stupid look on their faces. After a few moments, they grin and basically jump Suna, ruffling the middle blocker’s hair. The latter struggles and after a few moments of foolery, they finally calm themselves down and walk back to the bus with smiles in their faces, talking about the match they just had.

And Osamu thinks maybe this is enough to save his heart for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> koshinuke basically means 'coward' sjahdkajsda


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter for now KJHFDSDJ ill go do my best on the next update ^ q ^

“‘Tsumu, if we win the nationals, I’m going ta confess to [Y/n],” Osamu blurts out and Atsumu chokes on his water, coughing it out as he tries to process what his twin brother just said to him so nonchalantly and so out of nowhere that he can hardly even believe he heard it. After the coughing fit (that Osamu helped him with by rubbing his back), Atsumu glares at his other half, not even knowing where to start.

“Uh, aren’t ya forgetting somethin’?” Atsumu scowls, wiping off water from his mouth with the towel draped around his shoulder, “She has a boyfriend.”

“Who cares.” Osamu stares at nowhere in particular as he rubs his hair with his own towel, having just gotten out of the bath and is now lounging with Atsumu in their shared hotel room. “Don’t ya think I should ride the luck momentum if ever?”

“Yeah, sure. Good luck bein’ rejected.” 

Osamu whips Atsumu with his towel and the latter pushes the former out of the bed, yelling for him to go to his own bed already and sleep because he’s starting to utter actual bullshit. Osamu only sticks his tongue out before rising from his spot on the floor and flopping unceremoniously on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he ruffles his own hair. He sighs.

Neither of them continue the conversation, each twin just going back to drying their hair and doing their rituals before sleeping. Osamu briefly wonders how you’re doing. From what he remembers, you told them that you were rooming with Aya. Are you guys having fun? Girl talk? Or are you already asleep?

Or maybe you’re on a phone call with Fu-koshinuke. Osamu furrows his eyebrows.

“‘Samu, don’t give yerself ultimatums,” Atsumu suddenly mutters as he, too, flops on his bed, hanging the towel somewhere nearby. If their mom or _you_ could see how messy their hotel room is, they’re sure to be given a proper scolding but the fact is you both couldn’t so they figure they should just go ham and clean up later when the whole thing’s over. Atsumu stares at the same ceiling his brother’s been staring at and frowns.

“I know yer kind of panicking but maybe just wait for them ta break up and just focus on the match tomorrow, dude.”

Osamu closes his eyes. Yeah, maybe he should. He’s been trying to, religiously dedicating himself to volleyball. He’s technically been doing it for most of his life so it should come easy to him.

But, he’s also had these feelings for you for most of his life too and it’s not that really easy to put aside, thoughts of you occasionally filling his mind the moment he sees something that reminds him of you. And nearly everything reminds him of you.

Liking you was like a curse. Sometimes he hates it but most of the time, he thinks that if anyone’s gonna have him wrapped around their fingers, he’s glad that it’s you.

It’s always been you.

“I don’t want to lose her ta that idiot, ‘Tsumu,” Osamu mutters and he immediately regrets the moment those words left his mouth. So stupid. He wants to hit himself for suddenly oversharing. This is so embarrassing. Why’s he even feeling like this anyway? He reaches to touch his forehead, brushing back the hair sticking to it. Maybe it’s because the feel of your soft lips on his forehead when you congratulated them for winning hasn’t gone away yet. He thought it was nice. He wants to feel it for the rest of his life.

Thinking about Fu-koshinuke having access to your kisses makes his blood boil.

“Nevermind. Night.” Osamu stirs on his bed, turning his back away from his twin lest the latter makes fun of him for being a brokenhearted lovesick fool. For their childhood friend, nonetheless. He’s always wondered how Atsumu was able to get over you but then the bleached twin’s crush on you must’ve just been a fleeting one. Osamu wonders what the hell did _he_ do for him to fall this hard.

“It’s too early ta tell if you’ve lost, ya scrub.” He could hear Atsumu yawn. Osamu closes his eyes. He knows. Not until you have a ring on your left hand ring finger, he knows he still has a chance. It’s never too late. Who knows, maybe he will eventually meet someone that will make him forget about you.

He can keep telling himself that but the fact that you’re in love with another man doesn’t really hurt any less. He clenches his hand into a fist.

He hasn’t really lost yet but it sure feels like it.

***

They lost. They won a set off Itachiyama but it doesn’t really matter because they ultimately lost in the end. Atsumu glances at Osamu as they walk to face their audience, his twin staring at nowhere in particular with a hard expression on his face. Somehow, Atsumu knows. He always knows. 

He knows how Osamu felt like he just lost two battles today.

“This is why you don’t give ultimatums to yourself, scrub,” Atsumu whispers to himself and he’s sure if Osamu heard him, he’s bound to get hit. But, he doesn’t. Osamu can only hear static as his eyes find you among the audience, his gaze softening once he sees the sorrow on your face. He feels like you’re sad because they… _he_ lost. You’re sad because you don’t get to hear what he felt towards you.

But, of course that’s just fantasy. You’re sad because they lost the nationals. That’s all there is to it really.

He bows his head along with his teammates, sweat and tears mixing and falling on the floor of the court.

“Thanks!!”

***

“What the hell was that Sakusa guy?!” You rant, sitting on a bench alongside the twins outside the stadium, having just finished the awarding ceremony. The bus would leave soon but the three of you are still taking your sweet time sulking with one another’s company. They’ve bought t-shirts and some other souvenirs and they forced you to get one too even when you didn’t play volleyball at all ( _“Come on, don’t ya wanna match with us?!” “No?” “Scrub!”_ ) so now the paper bags just lay at your feet as the twins practically snuggle against you, acting like the big, sad, and tired babies they are.

They groan when you shift your position again, bringing your hands up so you can mimic Suna’s blocking position.

“I mean, Rin-chan’s freakin’ amazing and all and he was able ta shut down some of his spikes but why was it so hard for you guys to receive it?” 

Atsumu clicks his tongue, irritated over the fact that you don’t get how difficult it is and how it sounds like you’re underestimating them but before he could rip you a new one, Osamu brings his hand up to put yours down and starts to talk. 

“It’s his wrist,” he mutters, “...they’re weird.”

“Huh?” You furrow your brows and sound like you’re offended by that suggestion alone but Osamu just shrugs and sighs. It’s not like they can change the fact that Sakusa guy has weird bendy wrists and it was put at an advantage against them.

“Well, it’s over now. Time ta move on,” Atsumu mutters before lifting his head from your shoulder and sliding off his arms wrapped around your form. Osamu lifts his head too, too awkward to actually embrace you, but they eventually move away from you and look at each other, knowing exactly what they’re talking about.

Their school banner.

_We don't need things like memories._

The media and almost everyone call them “the strongest challengers” but most of them on the team know it doesn’t really matter. They were winners of yesterday but now they’re the losers of today. 

It’s just like that with volleyball. The fact that they’re the ‘strongest challengers’ now doesn’t matter much.

Somehow, even if you don’t fully comprehend it yet just by their looks alone, you smile in understanding and stand too, putting your hands on the twins’ backs and pushing them forward with a laugh.

“I’ll cheer ya guys on next year too.”

The twins look back at you and grin, eternally grateful that you’re in here with them. Actually, not just now, but grateful that you’ve been with them since the beginning, watching them slowly climb up the ladder in their own way. Being friends with you was and still is a fun and wonderful experience, each brother going to you for comfort whenever they’ve had enough of each other. Your presence is a blessing in their life and they feel like you helped boost their hungry flames for volleyball; one of the factors they’re trying so hard is to show off to you and to prove who is the best twin.

(They’ve always believed in what you have to say so if you say one of them is the best then he is.)

(So far, you haven’t really picked a favorite twin, much to their chagrin.)

“Yep, let’s go back here next year, ya scrubs!” Atsumu exclaims cheerfully, bending down to pick up his and your paper bags, grinning smugly at Osamu as he one upped him again for being a gentleman. Osamu merely rolls his eyes and gathers his paper bags too before smoothly taking your hand in his free one, gripping it gently in case you swiftly pull away in fear of ‘cheating’ on your boyfriend.

To his pleasure and surprise, you hold his hand back and smile which makes Osamu whip his head towards Atsumu so fast and smirk smugly. Atsumu scowls and shoves him playfully away from you but your interlocked hands help keep him in place. Osamu sticks his tongue out at his bleached haired twin, making the latter frown. Atsumu doesn’t really like you that way but it sure does piss him off whenever Osamu acts like he’s winning your heart every time he does something that blurs the line between intimate and platonic. Atsumu chops your hands away from each other before taking yours and dragging you along with him.

“Ya guys are so weird!” You laugh as you stumble on your feet, trying to match Atsumu’s pace as he speedwalks your way towards the meeting place. Osamu follows closely behind, frowning too and glaring at the back of Atsumu’s head. You snicker and hold out your free hand to him again and a slight moment of hesitation flashes across his eyes but he eventually takes it again on his and smiles towards you, warm and gentle.

Your heart skips a beat and you ignore it, looking ahead at Atsumu who notices what you have done and is now noisily complaining. You just knee him on his rear when you start getting annoyed and he whines and says something like ‘ _How dare ya, [Y/n]!_ ’, Osamu quickly jumping on the bully Atsumu train.

You squeeze both of their hands earnestly.

_Don’t need things like memories, huh…_

You stare up at the quickly darkening sky.

Maybe, that just applies to sports.

Because you’re certain you’ll hold on to their memories with you forever.

“We’re goin’ home,” you mutter absentmindedly and they nod.

“Ya.”

"Sure is."

“I’m already home though.”

Atsumu and Osamu look at you with feigned and mocking touched faces and you bump into them, the three of you laughing.

Yep, you’re already home, after all.


	9. Chapter 9

Oh, how time flies by so fast. New years was a blast in the [Surname] and the Miya households, your families tight knit friends because of how you’re often in the twins’ house and vice versa, your respective parents just going ‘ _Welp! I guess we’re family now too!_ ’. You spent your first shrine visit with Aito and you two had a good time but of course, a hundred complaints from the twins greeted you once you got home. They whined about how it’s the first time you weren’t there with them during a visit and you were such a scrub for leaving them. They hogged all of your time in the evening as compensation and you were actually surprised at just how much brattier the two can get. 

Second year. Spring is finally here and there’s the occasional cold breeze so you huddle close to the Miya twins, trying to get warm off their body heat.

You guys are once again in front of the bulletin board, you in the middle of the twins as they scan the posted list of classes. There’s another addition though because Suna is right next to Osamu, also towering most of the students around you as he, too, squints in an effort to find his name.

“Oh! ‘Samu and Suna, yer both in class 2-1!” Atsumu exclaims as he starts to point at the list but there’s a mischievous glint in his eyes and the corner of his mouth starts to lift into a smirk. You narrow your eyes at him and it isn’t long before Osamu’s hand comes flying over your form to smack Atsumu in the head, startling you and making Atsumu laugh as he stumbles a few steps away from you. Suna starts chuckling as well.

“H-Huh? Why? What’s happening?” You ask, looking wildly between them three. Osamu looks miffed while Atsumu and Suna act like they’ve just heard the funniest joke they’ve ever heard in their entire life. You furrow your brows when no one answers, Osamu catching on to your irritation and he just sighs before pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Yer in 2-1 too, [Y/n].”

Your eyes light up, “Oh heck yeah!” You punch Osamu on the arm in celebration (he just gives you a wilted look even though it probably didn’t hurt) but then you’re reminded that the three of them reacted weirdly due to that knowledge so the confusion immediately returns to your face.

“‘S that a bad thing-”

“[Y/n]!” 

The four of you whip your head to the direction where that oh-so familiar voice came from and just as your smile widens, the twins’ expressions sour. (Suna keeps a neutral face, not really feeling any kind of emotions towards the owner.)

“Aito-kun!” You push your way out of the human sandwich you’re in and run to your boyfriend, cheerfully kissing him on the cheek as a greeting. Osamu quickly looks away, the all too familiar heaviness on his chest making another comeback. He swears he could feel his heart gaining another crack whenever he sees you two interact, assuming it hasn’t already shattered. How is he going to survive this?

“We’re both in class 2-1! Aren’t ya happy?” Aito asks you, all warm smiles. 

Osamu’s eye twitches. _Seriously, tell him._

Your eyes widen, not fully processing the information just yet. You open your mouth and close it again before motioning to your group of friends, Aito quickly understanding what you mean. He nods and then scratches the back of his head, his smile turning a little bit unsure.

“Yeah, Suna-san and Miya-san are our classmates too, huh?”

_Shit._

A million thoughts immediately run inside your head, all of them stemming from anxiety. Aito doesn’t exactly know who you were pining for, just that you like a different guy, one that you had no chances with and sure, you’re _ABSOLUTELY_ in love with Aito now, feeling nothing but fondness and love towards the guy but…

But…

“‘Tsumu! What class are ya in?” You ask, escaping that thought as your friends also escape from the crowd, walking towards you and Aito almost begrudgingly. Atsumu only frowns, but there’s still a hint of mirth in his eyes as he gives Osamu a knowing glance. (One that you can’t understand and would probably misread as their silent shared dislike towards your significant other.)

(You’re close but not quite.)

“Sadly, I’m in class 2-2.” Atsumu pouts, making motions to step closer to you but catching himself as he remembers that Aito is literally there, holding your hand in his. He clicks his tongue, annoyed that he can’t act clingy to you but eventually lets it go as he continues- “Can’t join yer little band of misfits.”

“Damn, you’re gonna be alone, huh? Don’t cry too much, Atsumu,” Suna says, poking fun at the louder twin. 

“Who’ll cry?! Ginjima-kun’s with me so I’ll be o-kay!” Atsumu shoves Suna playfully and Suna only rolls his eyes, not bothering to retort to that further. You only giggle at their interaction, grinning at Atsumu who only gives you a kicked puppy look as his eyes catches yours. He won’t say it but you’re pretty sure he’s feeling a little left out though in reality, he won’t really mind it much. You throw him a peace sign.

“Well, see ya, Mr. Left-Alone-Scrub!”

“Ya little-”

Before Atsumu can get a hold of you, you push Aito along with you, walking away so you can get to your new classroom. You don’t really know how to feel about this development, you’re happy because you’re with him but also, is spending so much time with him...good? You both start chatting about where the said classroom is and what you’ve been up to, you forcibly pushing your dilemma at the back of your head. You should be happy! Ecstatic even! Why are you so concerned anyway? It’s not like you have any more feelings for Osamu, right?

_...Right?_

“Well, can you request a class transfer?” Suna asks as he watches your retreating figures, catching the way Aito discreetly stole a glance towards the three of them before smiling down at you, so gentle and mature. Suna looks back at the twins who are now adorning matching scowls in their faces, childish and selfish, watching as someone precious to them gets swept under her feet. 

“That’ll be weird and sudden. She’ll surely stick her nose ta why I did that.” Osamu finally sighs as he scratches the back of his head. This sucks. This sucks a lot. 

“Well, guess ya just haf’ta distract yerself with studyin’. Suna, take care of ‘Samu!” Atsumu claps Osamu on the back, making the other stumble forward a bit from the impact. Atsumu earns a glare from Osamu and he was about to give his twin a piece of his mind but Suna’s already grabbing him by the shoulder and shoving him another few steps forward.

“Alright, alright~ I’ll distract you from your broken heart. Let’s go already.” Suna frowns and cocks his head to the direction you and Aito went to. Osamu looks at Suna like he just tasted something sour but eventually nods, looking back at Atsumu in spite.

“Don’t have too much fun, ‘Tsumu.”

Atsumu grins, indicating that he _will_ be having too much fun.

“Ya too, ‘Samu.”

***

The gods above granted Osamu a little reprieve as you’re seated somewhere far away from Aito and somewhere near to him. Beside him, in fact. He thinks it can’t get any better than that. Meanwhile, Suna’s seated just behind you, minding his own business as he lazily scribbles notes.

Osamu realizes that it really can’t get any better because it just turned _worse_ . You sitting next to him meant that Aito would come over to have lunch with you on _your_ table. He just realized this when the lunch bell rang and Aito quickly grabbed ahold of his bento and made his way to sit in front of you. Just beside him. Osamu blanches when it dawns on him what’s happening and he quickly contemplates if he should just go over to Atsumu’s class every lunch time or go to the cafeteria instead. He’d have to see and listen to the both of you acting all lovey-dovey and he’s quite sure that he’s not masochistic enough to submerge himself into that torture but Suna’s quicker as he’s already grabbing the twin by the shoulder and smiling down at you and Aito.

“Should we all have lunch together? We can arrange the tables.” Suna offers, glancing more at Aito than you for approval. You quickly agree, not giving any chance for Aito to say his piece and he catches how Aito purses his lips as he looks at you in mild disappointment. Nevertheless, his face seems to melt into a smile as he realizes how excited you are.

 _This is bad. Aito really is in love with you._ Well, Suna guesses that’s a given. The guy _is_ dating you, after all. And it’s already been months since you two got together and it looks like it’s still smooth sailing. 

Suna glances at Osamu who looks like he’s actually sick and about to pass out.

_Is he going to be okay?_

You stand and the three quickly reassure you that they can handle it, assembling four tables together and grabbing their respective chairs. Suna immediately takes the seat next to Aito so Osamu’s forced to take a seat next to you. You and Aito are facing each other while Osamu and Suna do the same. 

Osamu lightly kicks Suna under the table, glaring at him and sending some sort of telepathic message over towards the middle blocker. Suna only stares at him, trying to decipher whatever the twin meant until he eventually understands what Osamu’s getting at.

Osamu would rather sit next to Aito just so he can see your face rather than the man’s. Suna raises an eyebrow at that.

“You don’t want that.”

_You wouldn’t want to see how [Y/n] looks at Aito._

“Huh? What’s wrong, Rin-chan?” You ask, tilting your head in confusion. Suna holds Osamu’s stare for a moment longer before shrugging and opening his bento.

“Nothing. Something about volleyball practice. Right, Osamu?” 

“Yeah.” Osamu mutters weakly and you immediately pick up that your childhood friend’s not in the greatest of moods unlike earlier before you all learned your room assignments. You furrow your eyebrows, assuming that he’s down because of that something Suna referred to. Volleyball practice, huh?

“Is there somethin’ wrong in your training?” You ask Osamu, voice laced with concern. Osamu risks taking a glance towards you and his stomach turns because you’re radiant as always and gosh, he’s so in love-

He looks down on his own plastic container, hands gripping it tightly. Suddenly, he feels like he’s starving. 

“Nothin’. Don’t worry about it,” Osamu dismisses your concern before opening his bento, taking notice of the burning feeling of being stared at. Aito’s staring at him. Osamu finds himself looking back, forcing an amiable smile that only lasted a second before he claps his hands and mutters his thanks, finally digging into his meal.

Osamu’s always had a big appetite, not losing the will to eat even when he’s sick. In fact, he eats a lot more when he is. Same goes when he’s sad, using food as a coping mechanism to fill the widening hole in his heart. And oh, is his appetite turning insatiable.

You lean into him (making him flinch a little), eyeing his meal the way you always do and it isn’t long before you’ve stolen one of his onigiri, happily munching onto it like a child.

“Man, yer mum’s such a good cook! I’ll never get tired of it!” You laugh, familiarly bumping your shoulder with his. Osamu finds himself smiling and Suna notices how soft it is compared to the rare smug smiles he throws at the team at practice. That smug smile that is so similar to Atsumu’s. That smile which somehow irritates Suna.

Man, Osamu really has it deep, huh.

“I’m the one who made lunch today, ya scrub.” Osamu shakes his head before putting a sausage on your bento box, making you gasp exaggeratedly. He chuckles and Suna finds himself smirking a bit at your antics too. 

“Oh yeah! Ya started practicin’ during winter vacation, didn’t ya? Man, yer first attempts were already edible but it’s really good now! Nice!” You grin and elbow his side, proud at what your friend has accomplished. He suppresses the smile that’s attempting to tear his face, only shrugging nonchalantly at your praise and ignoring the way such simple words from you can boost his mood immediately. 

Just what kind of magic do you possess, really?

“Can I try too?” Suna teases, leaning over to pick up a sausage with his chopsticks but Osamu swats him away, making you laugh. Suna clicks his tongue and says something smartass under his breath, nobody quite hearing it and making Osamu squint in suspicion. 

All merriment stops when Aito suddenly clears his throat and smiles at you, putting a rather yummy looking tamagoyaki on your bento box.

“Should I make you lunch tomorrow, [Y\n]?”

Osamu watches in silent horror as you beam in happiness, smile reaching your eyes as you nod enthusiastically at the proposition laid before you. 

You look beautiful. You always are but right now, Osamu swears the world around you disappears and he can only watch as your hair slowly falls from being tucked behind your ear because you’re tilting your head in laughter, the sound melody to his ears. Your eyes rival even the prettiest rainbow you three had the fortune of witnessing back in middle school and he vividly remembers that day because you looked at him like he’s beautiful too, your eyes shining like rubies.

He tears his gaze away from you and removes himself from that memory as he reminds himself that times have changed. It isn’t him you’re looking at now, it’s Fu-koshinuke. That beautiful smile of yours belongs to another man entirely. Not like it had ever been his. Maybe it had been but not wholly, Atsumu often sharing the moments he’s had with you. Besides, he’s never figured out how you felt about him; sometimes it looks like he might have a chance but it often feels like he doesn’t.

Well, now, he clearly doesn’t.

His mood goes sour again.

Suna watches Osamu carefully, the latter starting to gobble up his meal, and he now feels a bit bad that he’s forced this arrangement. You and Aito are completely absorbed in your own bubble now, easily acting like the couple that you are. Even Suna’s starting to feel awkward because he’s getting ignored by all occupants of this makeshift dining table. He just shrugs to himself and slowly empties his bento box.

He risks glancing at you again and he’s caught by surprise as your gaze immediately goes back to Osamu the moment Aito’s distracted by another classmate, eyes completely filled with concern. You catch Suna’s eyes and you strain a smile briefly before Aito’s attention is on you again.

_Huh._

Suna takes note of that.

***

“How’re ya, my dearest brother?” Atsumu greets with a shit-eating grin and open arms as Osamu and Suna step inside the gym. Suna just ignores the infuriating twin but Osamu quickly heads straight towards his twin, accepting the hug. Atsumu’s surprised but reciprocates anyway, completely worried now.

“It’s that bad, huh…?”

“S’horrible. I wanna die.”

“It’s over now, it’s over now~” Atsumu coos in understanding, patting his brother on the back. Aran’s slightly disturbed at the sight but then he remembers Atsumu basically broadcasting to the gym that Osamu’s heart is currently obliterated right now because his homeroom is with you and your boyfriend so Aran guesses he won’t judge them too hard right now… for now.

But man, how rough. Osamu really can’t catch a break, huh.

“Ya just haf’ta do this for the rest of the school year!” Atsumu cheerily exclaims as he pulls away from Osamu.

Osamu smacks him hard on the head.

***

“Ya wanna go with us, ‘Samu, Rin-chan?” You ask your two companions as you gather your stuff to presumably go eat lunch to whatever location Aito offered to go. As if on auto-pilot, Osamu and Suna look at Aito on the doorway, who is currently looking back at them. He smiles.

_Ah. He’s telling us to not accept her invitation._

“Nah, I’m good,” Suna says in response, not really in the mood to go third wheeling. Somehow it’s no fun to hang out with you when Aito’s around. Aito’s polite enough but he doesn’t look like he wants to be friends, only focusing his attention on you and getting quite territorial when you pay attention to others. Well, to Suna’s observation anyway.

You turn your attention to Osamu and he merely shakes his head, indicating he’s fine where he is and looks away, hating the sight of you right now as you’re about to leave him in favor of your boyfriend’s company. Suna notices the way your smile falters at how Osamu’s acting but you eventually nod at them and skip towards Aito, the latter’s hand immediately landing on your waist as he leads you out of the classroom.

“The worst…” Suna hears Osamu mumble. He stands up and pulls on the chair in front of Osamu’s desk, turning it so it faces the gray haired twin. He sits down and shrugs.

“Let’s just eat.”

Osamu stares at Suna for a moment before shrugging.

“Thanks.”

***

That’s how it was day after day, Aito always leading you outdoors to eat under the cherry blossoms and it’s scenic and romantic and you love it dearly but somehow there’s a certain pang of loneliness around the whole ordeal just because you know that Osamu’s in the same class and you’re not spending your time with him.

You’ve communicated this with Aito once on the way home and he just pouted at you cutely, mumbling about how Osamu’s had his fill of you that could last him a lifetime and it’s unfair that he gets to sit and live so close to you and you were about to express how uncomfortable hearing that made you feel but Aito cut you off by saying-

“It’s fine though. Ya can invite them ta lunch anytime ya want.” He leaned down to kiss you on the cheek and smiled. You blushed at the affection but there’s still that sense of discomfort that you just decided to ignore.

Osamu and Suna never accepted any of your lunch invitations.

Until you just stopped asking completely.

It’s lonely. You find yourself spending less and less time with the twins because their mornings started to become occupied with training too so you have to walk to school by yourself. Their weekends aren’t always free too. If they aren’t practicing, they’ll reason that they’re swamped with school work so you or they can’t visit.

You kick a pebble as you pout your way to Inarizaki High once again without the two troublemakers on either of your side. It really is terribly lonely. Aito can’t walk you to school because he actually lives the opposite way and you think it’s trouble enough for him to walk you home everyday so you’re not about to burden him any further.

You know you’re bound to separate with the twins one of these days but is this the start of that separation? You figured it’d start during your third year, not the second one. It’s all so sudden. Your chest feels heavy. It’s not like they stopped talking to you entirely; Osamu still strikes up conversations with you during class, Atsumu often comes by just to pester you, Osamu and Suna, and they still text you nonsense most of the time but like…

You bite your lower lip. Maybe, you’re just being overdramatic. _Or they just don’t like you anymore._ You shake your head, willing that dark voice of insecurity away. You’ve said it yourself, it’s not like you guys will be together forever. That’s just one of the many hard pills that’s hard to swallow but you _need_ to.

You open the door for your classroom, most of your classmates already inside but still loitering like the typical highschool students that you guys are. Aito is near and his eyes immediately light up when you meet his gaze. He walks towards you to kiss you on the cheek as a greeting.

Some classmates tease you and you blush at the attention, clapping him on the shoulder the way you do with the twins as some sort of affection. He laughs at that and he tails you like a puppy as you walk towards your desk. Suna’s looking at something in his phone while Osamu looks like he’s fallen asleep on his desk. Morning practices must be brutal. You rummage through your bag and silently place a small energy drink near the edge of his table so he won’t knock it down if he ever jolts up awake. You put one on Suna’s as well and he smiles at you in gratitude, taking it gingerly in his hand and quickly drinking it.

Aito startles you when you look towards his way, yelping a little when your eyes suddenly meet with his form. You thought he had come back to his own table. You put a hand over your chest, where your heart is, feeling how it hammers inside your ribcage. 

“Geez! That surprised me!” You hiss at him before putting your stuff down. He smiles and tilts his head.

“Nothing for me?”

_Oh._

“S-Sorry! I had only bought sports drinks and there’s only two..” You reason, not meeting his gaze due to guilt. You completely forgot about him. Or you remembered but didn’t find it in yourself to think of buying him one too.

Aito only exclaims ‘Oh!’ then waves his hands around, all flustered.

“S’okay! No big deal!” He chuckles and then shyly bids you goodbye.

You watch him walk away from you, his back broad and ever-so-charming. Aito’s very gentle and polite. He’s an excellent cook too. He’s very entertaining to talk to and he’s fairly popular with some girls as well. You even heard one of them calling him ‘husband’ or ‘wife’ material.

And he surely is. He’s always taking care of you.

But lately, it feels like there’s something wrong with him. And as more time passes, his dislike for the twins is starting to show and worsen as well. It makes you feel uneasy, as if he’s competing for your attention. You bite your lower lip. Maybe, he is?

You don’t know anymore.

You’re broken out of your stupor when you hear Osamu groan, slowly sitting up properly as he rubs his eyes before stretching his arms and back. He yawns and moments after, he blinks at the drink currently sitting on his table.

“Uh- s’that mine?”

“Yeah!” You answer cheerily, immediately forgetting all of your troubles as you see Osamu’s face has red marks that’s surely the results from his nap. His hair’s a mess too. He looks at you in mild surprise, getting startled by your loud voice and you immediately apologize, finally sitting down on your chair as you watch him take the bottle.

“Thanks, [Y/n].” Osamu smiles at you and you feel warmth spreading to your face and chest.

“Yer welcome, sleepy head.”

Osamu only snorts and downs the whole thing while you watch him. Aito glances your way but he meets Suna’s eyes to his surprise. He immediately looks away in embarrassment.

Suna feels like he’s watching a shitshow of a love triangle.

He can’t wait to see how it goes.

***

“I miss, [Y/n],” Atsumu mutters as he collapses next to Osamu, volleyball in hand. Interhigh’s nearing again so of course, training’s getting brutal. Not like he’s complaining but Atsumu would also appreciate it very much if you just waltz inside the gym and give him a few kisses on the forehead and cheek and a very big hug. He’s running out of [Y/n] steam.

“What do ya think I feel, idiot?” Osamu counters as he rests his eyes. Atsumu smacks him on the chest and all Osamu could do was groan in pain. He makes a mental note to kick Atsumu’s ass later when he recovers.

“Scrub, at least ya see her in class. I fuckin’ hate all of ya,” Atsumu whines. Once everything’s over, he’s gonna pester you like there’s no tomorrow. Nevermind if Aito doesn’t like it, Atsumu had you first and he’s your bestie. In his book, that’s better than any significant other.

“Yeah but I can hardly look at her when Fu-koshinuke’s hogging her all by himself,” Osamu mutters, a little bit irritated. He swears, if Aito could build a wall in between you and him, the guy would probably would. He’s so overprotective that it pisses Osamu off. Overprotective in such a discreet manner too that it feels like you’re being manipulated in some sort of way.

“We should just dump the guy somewhere, he’s seriously getting on my nerves.”

“That’s mean, ‘Tsumu.”

“Pft- don’t lie to yerself, ‘Samu.”

They look at each other. Yes, they would very much like to just dump your boyfriend somewhere and be rid of him. But, alas, all they can do is sigh because obviously, they can’t do that. Not because they’re incapable but it’s because you’ll get mad at them.

“I can’t wait for them ta break up.” Osamu sits up and yawns, shaking his arms in front of him so he can awaken his body.

Atsumu follows suit, clutching the volleyball to his stomach. “When they break up, ya better confess ta her right away.” He smirks at his twin and Osamu could only roll his eyes.

“We can’t have her runnin’ off with a guy we don’t like.”

Osamu agrees but he knows revealing his feelings to you ain’t that easy. There’s also the risk of you rejecting him too and ruining the friendship you three had built over the years. He feels like he’ll regret it for the rest of his life if he ever ruins the friendship you all have.

But would that regret be bigger if he doesn’t dare try?

How messy.

Osamu shoves Atsumu playfully and the latter complains a little before shoving the former back. They grin towards each other before Atsumu’s grin turns into a full blown laugh, making Osamu roll his eyes.

Atsumu stands up first, offering Osamu his hand. Osamu takes it and stands up as well.

“Don’t think [Y/n]’s the type ta unfriend us over some silly little feelings.” Atsumu elbows him on the side before running back to the court. Osamu frowns.

Silly feelings, huh. He guesses it _is_ silly…

It’s silly and ridiculous for his feelings to run this deep.

***

“Huh? Ya aren’t gonna watch the interhigh?” You ask Aito, a little surprised. You’re both on the way home as usual and he squeezes your hand the moment he notices that you didn’t like what he put down.

“Ah, no- You see, I’m busy-”

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?” You pull away from him and he lets you, lamenting the fact that your warmth has left his. He grips his hand into a fist.

“You just don’t want ta watch ‘Tsumu and ‘Samu, don’t ya?” You look at him like you’re hurt and he has to avert his gaze away so his guilty conscience doesn’t eat him up. Your frown deepens.

“I mean, sure, fine, s’okay, it ain’t a big deal.” You take a deep breath and you tuck your hands into your side so he can’t grab it back. You don’t know why you’re so miffed about it but gosh, why are men this way? Why won’t they just get along? Is there something about Aito that the twins see that you don’t see? Even Suna’s pretty lukewarm with him, the middle blocker not paying him much attention unless needed to.

Or is there something wrong with the twins? Are you being biased here? But then, you’re probably one of the rare people who knows the twins inside and out. And there is nothing to hate about them, as far as you can tell. (Even if Atsumu is a habitual liar and Osamu’s kind of a potty mouth if pushed enough and both of them can get pretty freaking mean.)

“I actually-” Aito starts, looking down at the ground, unable to meet your eyes. You click your tongue at that and he flinches, afraid, but nonetheless, he continues- “I think you shouldn’t go too. We can celebrate our anniversary during that time. It’s a free day.”

You gape at him, unable to believe what he’s saying.

“Yer telling me to skip their games?”

Aito looks at you in the eyes this time, a rare blaze of determination suddenly present in those blue orbs of his.

He nods.

“No way.” You stop walking, furrowing your eyebrows, frankly, a little offended that he would even suggest such a thing. His expression hardens as well, surprising you.

“Why not?”

“Because they’re my best friends!”

“ _I’m_ your boyfriend!”

You gasp, hearing him yell for the first time. It seems that it startles him as well because the moment he heard you gasp, he suddenly stumbles back as if he had just gotten hit. Your chest starts tightening and you find yourself having a hard time breathing.

He shakes his head and swallows, eyes a little unfocused but the determination he had comes back, even stronger this time.

“It’s sure win that they’ll be able ta qualify for nationals anyway!”

“Yeah? That doesn’t mean-!”

“So why do ya have to be there?!” Aito’s face is twisting into something unpleasant now and you think to yourself, this isn’t the person you love-

Or that person you thought he was is just a fragment of who he is. You bite your lower lip.

“It’s because ‘Tsumu and ‘Samu wants me ta be there!”

“It’s always ‘Samu this, ‘Tsumu that, whoever you like between them, ya told me from the start that they’re out of yer league!” Your eyes widen and you think that the air has just been knocked out of you because you suddenly can’t breathe. Wh- Wha-

“So snap out of it, [Y/n]! You’re with me now. They won’t care if ya aren’t there ta watch them or not!” 

Suddenly, there’s silence and you feel like you’ve just been dumped with ice cold water.

“What the fuck?” You ask, voice a bit strained from all the emotions. Snap out of it? What? Just what is he implying?

That you’re living some sort of fantasy with the twins?

_They won’t care if ya aren’t there ta watch them or not!_

“You’re so rude,” you mutter as you feel your throat clenching with too much emotion and it isn’t long before tears start to pour from your eyes, genuinely hurt because the twins mean almost _everything_ to you. They’re precious jewels that you keep close to your heart.

Won’t they really care? Have they stopped caring?

You sob into your hands, truly heartbroken, because you didn’t like hearing those words in the first place and the fact that it came from your beloved just increased the damage. You slap Aito’s hand away when he reaches for you in an attempt to comfort you. What an asshole. Where’s the gentle, unselfish man that you came to love?

(At least, you tell yourself that you love. You know somewhere deep down that what you feel for him is too shallow to call ‘love’.)

You quickly try to regain composure, straightening your back as you hastily wipe away your tears. They won’t stop no matter what you do so you just settle in trying not to let your lips tremble.

“Let’s break up. This isn’t workin’ anymore.”

Aito looks like he’s been slapped.

“What? Just from this little fight-?”

“It’s not just this! You’ve been actin’ weird and it’s makin’ me uneasy! Is it because ‘Samu and Rin-chan’s in the same class, huh?” You point at his chest and he looks away, frustrated.

“It’s over.”

You don’t wait for him to come up with an excuse as you speedwalk your way out of there. He reaches for your wrist but you immediately shake him off, glaring at him with as much venom as you can muster. He lets go.

When you’re sure that he isn’t behind or following you anymore, you sit by a sidewalk, quickly fishing for your phone so you can angrily update the twins on what just happened. This sucks. You feel like shit.

It isn’t until later that evening that Atsumu and Osamu check their phones in the clubroom, eyes widening at the simple worded text that you sent them.

_[We broke up.]_


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the kind comments! it really warms my heart! ^^ ;; <3

You’re upset.

It’ll be a lie if you say you don’t know why because you know _exactly_ why you’re curled up in a ball on your bed, sniffling. You’re upset because your phone’s been buzzing with messages and calls for the past hour and for every call you missed, your heart breaks a little more from the guilt.

After you’ve calmed down from your rage, it’s sadness’ time to shine, of course. You know Aito’s not the only one at fault. You know deep down in your heart, you’ve also been unfair. As a matter of fact, you think this whole mess is your fault. You know that if Aito was more focused on a female friend than he was with you, you’ll get jealous too because you’re his _girlfriend_. 

You clench your fist. You also know that’s not necessarily true. 

You won’t get jealous. If anything, it’ll just hurt your pride because he agreed to be wholly yours so what gives him the audacity to act that way. Which was unfair, considering you only promised him half of you.

Which was unfair because the bigger half of you still yearned for Osamu.

Aito must be more torn right now than you are. But you reason to yourself that he knew what he was getting into. He knew your intentions. Knew that you only dated him to experiment, to use him to erase that yearning for one of the twins. These feelings you’re slowly starting to hate.

You can’t blame him though. You’ve been dating for almost a year, exchanged words of affection, kissed each other, went on dates, acted like you’re in love with him as much as he was in love with you. You’re too good of an actress, you guess. Or he just chooses to ignore it when your eyes stray from his, your attention getting stolen by Osamu everytime he’s near.

You’re upset at yourself too because the lie you built went on this long. Insistently ignoring the truth that you’ll never get over Osamu, forcing yourself to settle for Aito. Because the guy actually reciprocates. Actually cares. Actually loves you.

You’re not saying that Osamu doesn’t. You know that Osamu must care more, love more. You’ve been his friend for almost twelve years now so of course, he does.

But you honestly don’t think he’ll ever reciprocate your romantic feelings. To love you the way you want him to. To care for you the way lovers do.

You wipe your tears, biting your lower lip in an attempt to stop yourself from crying. You’re tired. Exhausted, even. You haven’t had dinner, too emotionally wrecked to actually face your family on the dining table. You just made up some bullshit excuse while you tried not to let your voice tremble, saying you weren’t hungry before you went to your room to mope. You’re too upset to feel hungry but it sure would be nice to drink some water.

You don’t know what time it is. You’re too scared to look at your phone to check. Too scared to see what Aito has to say.

Maybe, you should just sleep this off.

You’re about to doze off, eyes weary, the buzzing of your phone lulling you to sleep, when a sudden knock on your door startles you, making you flinch. Your head hurts from all the crying and from the sudden shock of being woken up so your tone comes out a bit harsher than you intend when you say, “I said m’not hungry!”

“We didn’t ask if yer hungry though?” A familiar voice not belonging to one of your family members comes from the other side, one belonging to someone rude and obnoxious. You groan. Oh yeah, you texted them. Of course, they’ll check up on you. Probably to gloat, tell you they were right about Aito before pestering you for the details.

“You okay? Can we come in?” You wince upon hearing _his_ voice, your chest immediately tightening because he was, indirectly, the root of all this pain after all. You stare at the ceiling, body still wrapped up inside your blanket. Your door’s not locked so even if you don’t want to get up, they can still come in.

Atsumu is a welcome sight but Osamu… 

Can you even bear seeing his face right now?

Sure, Atsumu has the same face as him but you’ve learned to differentiate them a long time ago. When you see them, they’re a different entity of their own. You're in love with one twin after all.

“I’m okay…” You mutter though you’re not sure if they heard. Probably not. You close your eyes again. Whatever. They’ll probably go away once they realize you’re not in the mood to deal with them…

“We’re comin’ in!”

Not.

Atsumu (you know it’s Atsumu, rude as he is) swings your door open and you wince again from the sound and from the sudden blinding light that streams from the halls. They don’t bother opening your lights though even when Osamu closes the door behind them, crossing your room to reach you and your bed blindly in the dark. 

Atsumu trips on something, making him land unceremoniously on your bed to the spot next to you, cursing under his breath as he rises and checks himself for any damage. You can’t help but smile, eyes already adjusted to the dark thus clearly seeing his stupid expression. They haven’t said anything yet but you already feel lighter than you did a moment ago.

Once Atsumu realizes he’s fine, he shifts his body so that he lies on his back, his lower half dangling off the bed so he can make space for Osamu. Osamu sits down next to Atsumu, looking at you with that neutral face of his.

You cover your face more with the blanket, hating how his gaze sears your skin, both from affection and shame.

“So why’re ya moping? Yer not the one t’was dumped, are ya?” Atsumu starts, his head turning to face you and when you don’t answer after a few moments, his eyes widen and he gasps in disbelief.

“ _What?_ _Really?_ The audacity-”

“N-no, it’s not like that. I’m the one who dumped him.” You cut him off before he can go into an angry rant. You groan and bury your face on your bed, already thinking that maybe it really is not a good idea to mingle with these two while the wound’s still fresh. Technically, this is your first heartbreak from their perspective (well, it really is because Osamu has yet to break your heart but it sure feels like it’s already happening) and this will be the first time that they’ll be providing you comfort for this matter too. How effective will their cooing be, you don’t know.

“Then why’re ya moping? Shouldn’t ya be happy?” Atsumu asks, genuinely confused and you can only smack him in the chest in annoyance. He doesn’t react much and you can understand why he didn’t seem hurt. Your arms feel like noodles since you haven’t eaten and you’re dehydrated.

“Why would I be happy?”

“Uh- cause yer finally free?”

This time, it’s Osamu’s turn to smack Atsumu, hitting him on the leg.

“Ow! The fuck, ‘Samu!?”

“Quit sayin’ stupid stuff,” Osamu scowls before his eyes land on you again. You bite the inside of your cheek as you try to maintain eye contact, which is hard because just looking at him makes you want to tear up again. _Gosh,_ _you love- no, no, no-_ after a few heartbeats, he asks-

“Do you want something ta drink?”

You immediately nod at that, your body craving for water but more than anything, you want Osamu out of your sight. You feel bad that you thought of that when he nods back and rises from being seated, quietly making his way back to the door to go fetch you a so-desired glass. Little did you know, he needed you out of his sight too because he feels like shit. He’s happy that you’re single again but seeing you so distraught over the breakup sucks. It hurts. _That means it was real._ Once the door clicks shut, your phone buzzes again and before you could grab it and hide it from Atsumu, his large hand and fast reflexes beat you to it. When you realize what just happened, he’s already answering your phone for you.

“Wait, ‘Tsumu-!”

“Geez, give it a rest, will ya?” He scowls, pushing your face away so you can’t reach for him. He’s already strong enough for you when you’re in good shape, you can barely push back now that you’re emotionally exhausted. You curse under your breath, not really knowing whether that statement of his was directed to you or Aito but you take offense from it anyways. You'll make sure you'll give him a good smack once you recover. 

You see his face sour more as Aito presumably answers him back and somehow you wonder what would’ve happened if Osamu left a little later for that glass. Will he fuss over the phone too or will he smack Atsumu for being so nosy? You surely hope the latter but then knowing him, he’ll secretly be curious as to what Aito has to say too.

“Look man, the girl doesn’t want ta talk to ya anymore. Give up. Why don’t ya go and-”

“‘Tsumu,” you hiss, glaring at him with as much warning as you can muster. He shuts his mouth and looks at you with that condescending gaze of his (the one that he rarely gives you but it induces the same reaction from you everytime; you bite him). He quickly moves away from you, cursing and pressing the arm you bit to his torso, glaring at you with disgust. You stick your tongue out to him and he’s about to give you a piece of his mind when he realizes that he’s still on call with Aito.

“Stop calling,” he says with finality before ending the call and softly tossing your phone somewhere in the room. You sit up when he does that and you’re just about to complain to him when you hear a gentle knock, Osamu quickly opening the door, not even waiting for you to answer him. Why’d he even knock?

“Can I open the lights?”

“Sure,” you answer him before grabbing Atsumu’s shirt, pulling him so he falls on your bed. Once he’s in your grasps, a panic expression makes its way into his face, just in time for when Osamu opens the lights. You give him a slap on the forehead, much like you’re smacking a mosquito, and he yelps in surprise and pain.

Osamu momentarily stands still on your doorway, shocked. He quickly recovers though, walking towards you with an amused expression as Atsumu writhes in pain beside you while holding his forehead. (“I’ll get ya for this, bitch!” “What’dya call me?!” “Nothing!”) He hands you the glass of water which you accepted gratefully, immediately drinking from it like it's your lifeline. When you gulp your first sip, you quickly feel a lot better cause you finally have liquid in your system again. 

Osamu stares at you before saying, “Ya look like shit.”

You glare at him as best as you can while downing your glass of water, sighing in relief when you’ve emptied it, your body happy that you’re finally hydrated. You were about to lean over a whining Atsumu so you can put the glass on your nightstand but Osamu’s hand is already taking it before you can do so, your fingers grazing his in the process. You flush and nearly drop the glass on Atsumu because of the shock. Thankfully, Osamu had a firm grip on it.

“Careful,” he mutters, a bit concerned before putting the glass aside, ignoring the electricity that shot up his arm because of the contact. He swears, he gets electrocuted everytime. Atsumu finally recovers, sitting up and frowning at you, reaching over to pinch your nose. You scrunch your face in distaste at that.

“Why’d ya break up anyways?” Atsumu asks as Osamu sits beside him, levelling you with a stare. You recoil at his question, feeling your heart tinge in pain because the reason you guys broke up is…

You look at the twins in front of you.

_Them._

You look down on your hands, fidgeting them with your blanket. Specifically because of… well…

“It’s somethin’ stupid. Don’t worry about it. It’s over now.” You force a smile and you can tell they don’t believe you because their frowns just deepen. They say nothing to you, only staring, probing you further for more answers but you intend to keep this secret to your grave. “Come on! I’ll just cry this out for the night then I’ll be fine tomorrow morning!” You flex your arm in an attempt to joke, nervously laughing at your own antics. They don’t buy it though.

Osamu’s expression darkens. “Did he cheat on ya?”

Your eyes widen, immediately shaking your head, denying it. “No, no, no! It’s nothin’ really! It’s just something over pathetic-”

“If it was so pathetic, ya wouldn’t break up with him.” Atsumu scoffs, rolling his eyes.

You grip your blanket, biting your lower lip. You don’t really wanna talk about it with them. You’ll be fine, really. What else is there to do but be okay?

“I love ya guys but I’m okay, really. I can deal with this alone,” you say bitterly, unable to meet their eyes.

There’s a moment of silence and for once in your life, you actually feel uncomfortable around them, your heart pounding on your chest, nearly deafening you as you feel their eyes burning holes in your skin. After a few minutes, Atsumu sighs in defeat before scooting closer to you, pulling you in his embrace. Warmth comes back as you rest your head on his chest, his hand stroking your hair. Osamu awkwardly climbs on your bed too, settling on your other side, leaning his weight towards your back, too much of a coward to show you affection without his feelings being too obvious. For now this will do.

You feel static when he leaned into you though, shooting a shiver up your spine just from the contact. The twins mistake it for you being startled because you’re at your most vulnerable right now. Which is true but also… having Osamu so near is… _terrifying_.

You sincerely hope Atsumu doesn’t notice just how fast your heart is beating.

Unfortunately, he does, eyes widening a bit as he hears _and_ feels your heart hammering on your chest the moment Osamu came near. He looks down at you in disbelief. Is this… Does this mean…

Atsumu suppresses the smile threatening to split his face because is that what’s happening? Is he thinking correctly? Is his assumption based on what just happened correct? Can Osamu feel it too?

(Osamu doesn’t, too focused on steadying his heartbeat to take note of yours.)

He’ll play dumb for now. He might be mistaken after all.

Atsumu kisses you on your temple, so soft and so sweet, showing you a tender side of him mostly reserved to you. You look up to him in confusion and he can’t help but smile, one, because your face is stupid, and two, because if his assumption is correct then you really are stupid.

“I love ya too. If yer ready to tell us _or me_ anything, I’ll be here.” He grins at you, hinting that you can talk to him alone. You’re too emotional to notice how cheeky he’s being. Too busy tearing up since he’s being so sweet. You weakly smack him on the chest before burying your face on your hands. Osamu, in turn, smacks Atsumu on the head because he’s the one who noticed his twin being cheeky, squinting at a whining Atsumu because how dare he exclude him.

“...I’ll be here too,” Osamu mutters as he reaches to rub your back soothingly, too shy to actually tell you he loves you, reserving it for when he actually gathers the courage to confess to you. He can never wrap his head around how Atsumu does the things he wants to do so easily. (Probably because Atsumu doesn’t have any reason to fear rejection. If you push him away, he can just whine and be dramatic about it.)

(Osamu thinks if you push him away, his heart wouldn’t be able to take it.)

(But then, his heart is quite resilient.)

“Yeah,” you sob, looking over to Osamu so you can grab him and pull him in a group hug along with Atsumu, too overwhelmed with emotions to actually feel shy. The argument with Aito included you being insecure about how the twins don't care about you anymore so now that you’re being comforted by them, showing you they obviously care, you feel a bit silly that you ever doubted them. They were just busy, you understand that, and you know just how important volleyball is to the twins. They’re smitten by it. Of course. You know that more than anyone else.

“Would ya guys get mad at me if I skipped yer matches?” You ask when they finally disentangle themselves from your embrace, both of them looking at you in disbelief. Osamu quickly recovers though, his eyes narrowing.

“Yes.”

Atsumu towers over you with a scowl in an attempt to intimidate you.

“F’course. Don’t even think about it, ya scrub. Ya have to be there.” Atsumu gently shoves you back to your bed, giving you the finger as a joke and you giggle in your hands. You pull the blanket over your form again, once again feeling the exhaustion from crying too much.

“What he said. Yer our lucky charm, after all.” Osamu smiles at you, warm and comforting. Your heart aches because he looks so much like home.

“Ya liars,” you say, hiding your face inside your blanket. “Close the lights on yer way out.”

“See ya tomorrow, scrub.” You hear Atsumu yawn and Osamu hum. Then there’s shuffling and you hear your light switch click, your vision darkening again. You sigh when you hear the door open and close shut.

You’re alright now. You take and appreciate this moment of reprieve because you know that you’ll be facing Aito again tomorrow.

You shut your eyes tighter.

You hope it’ll be alright.

***

“You and Suna better act right tomorrow.” Atsumu huffs after they said goodbye to your parents, bowing to them politely and apologizing for intruding so late in the evening. Your parents just waved them off, already used to them and because they trust the twins wholeheartedly. A fact that the Miya twins took pleasure in.

“F’course. We’re not scrubs.” Osamu huffs back as he pushes their gates open, waiting for Atsumu to step in before closing it again. He sighs, scratching the back of his head.

“Ya think they broke up because of somethin’ related to us?” Osamu asks, noticing that your last question before they left came out of nowhere. Atsumu shrugs, immediately remembering the discovery he made just a while ago. An unconfirmed theory but a very plausible one at least. He smirks.

“Who knows?” Atsumu opens their front door and goes in, yelling that they’re home, Osamu closing the door behind them. Their mom asks if you are alright and they nod, Atsumu making a joke about how impossible it is for you to not be alright after seeing their face. Osamu just follows quietly behind his twin as their mother swats them away to their room.

Once Atsumu collapses on his bed, he asks the question that Osamu’s been anticipating ever since they first saw your text.

“Well? When do ya think you’ll shoot yer shot?”

Osamu bristles as if that question hurt him. It does a little.

It reminds him of the feeling like he’s running out of time. That he can lose you any moment now to another guy.

“Give her a lil’ break. Girl just broke up with her boyfriend.” Osamu clicks his tongue and climbs their bunk bed so he can also rest, exhausted from practice and from the emotional rollercoaster he felt today. He groans once his back hits the mattress, stretching his limbs to get comfortable.

There’s a moment of silence and he almost feels relieved that Atsumu has given it a rest already until-

“Do ya think they’ll get back together? They only argued over something ‘pathetic’ after all.” Atsumu air-quotes even though Osamu can’t see. Osamu knows Atsumu did though, getting a bit pissed off once he realizes that his and Atsumu’s braincells are connected. How offensive.

“Hope not. Don’t think [Y/n]’s that stupid,” Osamu mutters, wiping his face with a hand. 

“But she _is_ stupid.”

Osamu wanted to counter but he knows that’s true. You’re friends with them after all. “Fair.”

“I dare ya to confess ta her before nationals.” Atsumu says in a sing-song tone making Osamu groan.

“Don’t ya want me ta focus on the match though? What if I got rejected? Aren’t ya worried it’ll affect my performance? Highly doubt it though.” Osamu reasons though he knows deep in his heart that it _will_ affect his performance one way or another. Or maybe not. He did go to nationals knowing you had a boyfriend, that was a rejection in itself.

But now he has a chance again.

“Then I just dare ya to confess. Don’t be such a scrub. Ya coward!” Atsumu kicks the top bunk, pissing Osamu off. Osamu leans on the railing preventing him from falling off and gives Atsumu the finger, making the latter laugh deviously. 

“I’ll get ta it! Stop bein’ impatient!”

“How can I not be impatient when you’ve liked her since middle school and ya haven’t done anythin’ ‘bout it!” Atsumu kicks the top bunk again and Osamu groans, plopping down on his bed again, furiously rubbing his eyes now with the heel of his palms.

“I said I’ll get ta it!”

“Ya better!” Atsumu chortles again, having fun teasing his brother. But, alas, he’s tired too so he has to cut his own fun short. “Well, night to ya, scrub! Hope ya dream of bein’ rejected.”

“Shut the fuck up! Hope ya get a nightmare.”

Atsumu chuckles one last time before Osamu hears his twin shuffling the blanket, pulling it over his form. Osamu sighs and fluffs his pillows before pulling on his blanket too, closing his eyes as he invites sleep to take over.

He said he’ll get to it. Confessing to you. After you’ve moved on from Aito, of course.

He has to get to it or he might just never know the pleasure of holding your hand, knowing that you are wholly his.


	11. Chapter 11

Osamu is gentle.

At least when he wants to. Though he’s always gentle when it comes to you. When you guys argue, he somehow finds a way to lessen the blow of his words even if he’s absolutely fuming. Atsumu doesn’t care about things like that when he’s angry. You don’t get special treatment; it won’t matter even if his words will make you cry. That’s just an afterthought when all things have been said and done. He reasons he can just apologize and you’ll accept him anyways. It might depend how long ‘till you do but he knows you will. Without a doubt.

It’s the truth but that pisses you off.

Osamu, on the other hand, threads carefully, swallowing most of his harsher insults and only blurting out things that you won’t take personally. You know because there was a time he slipped and it thoroughly broke your heart because it shocked you that he may have thought of you that way.

You guess it showed on your face because he flinched the moment those words came out of his mouth and you watched horror immediately dawn on his face, reaching for you without missing a single beat, words stringing together to apologize. He sounded like he was begging. As if you can ever turn him away. You can’t.

That’s not the only reason why you think he’s gentle. He massaged your arms the one time they forced you to play volleyball, soothing the red blotches with some cream he said would help. It really didn’t help much but those little hands earnestly working to give you some relief warmed your heart. After that, you began to notice just how often he offers to carry your stuff (though you rarely accepted), gifted you prizes he said he _‘won’_ and _‘didn’t need’_ , included you in whatever he was doing, and be the nicer twin in general. You guess that’s just how Osamu is to someone he trusts because he’s just as bad, or even worse, as Atsumu when it comes to other people.

You think that’s the reasons these feelings and hope bloomed inside your chest.

But that’s all that it is really. Assumptions. You’re just his friend. Even you notice how it looks like he’s uncomfortable with you when it comes to more intimate things like hugs and platonic cheek and forehead kisses. His affection when it comes to you seems restrained and you figure it’s because he doesn’t want you to get the wrong idea. Atsumu doesn’t have problems with those, the guy’s surprisingly tolerant with that kind of thing. Even initiates it sometimes. You guess that more than anything, you and Atsumu have a higher chance of happening.

Which is absolutely _UNFORTUNATE_. You’d rather die than be romantic with Atsumu. You think of Atsumu solely as a brother which you figure is kind of weird since you’re literally head over heels in love with his twin. You bite the inside of your cheek.

He can technically really be your brother if you marry Osamu though.

You slump your head in your desk.

You wish.

(You’ve got it all wrong.)

***

_[I’m sorry for everything. You were good to me, really. I hope you find happiness. I love you.]_

_[I’m sorry too. I’ll never bother you again and I hope you do find yours as well. I love you too, [Y/n]. Sorry that we can’t be friends anymore but I’ll always cheer you on.]_

You stare at the last messages you exchanged with Aito before he blocked your number. He smiled at you this morning but generally avoided meeting your eyes or even interacting with you. He acts like nothing happened. You figure that’s for the best but it still hurts nonetheless. You don’t know why. Is it because you cared to some extent? Is it because of the guilt? 

You frown.

Suna snaps his fingers in front of you and you find yourself locking your phone, looking up to him with a frantic smile. He raises an eyebrow at you before his eyes dart to where Aito is seated, long ways behind you. Your smile turns nervous because you know just what he’s supposed to ask next. He doesn’t know yet after all.

“Odd. Are you guys arguing?” He inquires.

You look down on your lunch as you place your phone screen downwards, taking your chopsticks in one hand, trying to act natural. “Um, ya see…”

“They broke up,” Osamu answers for you, seated on your right. You wince at his words even if they’re true. It’s awkward. For your first love to say that. You don’t know. Nothing really feels real anymore.

“Oh.” Suna’s eyes widen a bit before going back to his usual uninterested expression. “About time anyway.”

“Huh?” You didn’t quite hear him but Osamu does. He narrows his eyes.

“Who broke up with who?”

“I-i did but what did you just say-”

“Nothing.” He smirks and then starts eating, shooting Osamu a knowing look. One out of three players eliminated, it just leaves two bumbling fools who don’t know how to properly act out their feelings then. This will be fun. If you’re the one who broke up with Aito then does it mean you’ve stopped being in denial with your feelings? You do seem like you’re hyper aware that Osamu’s next to you, just inches away. He figures he shouldn’t ask the reason why you guys broke up because you’ll most probably evade the question or outright lie on his face if his assumptions are correct. His eyes turn back to Osamu again; well, this fool’s more used to acting normal around you but he does notice that the grey haired twin has his moments where he’ll just stare at you and forget about the rest of the world. But in the end, he thinks Osamu’s kind of a coward.

Would _you_ take the next step forward?

“Suna, did ya know this girl thought of not going ta our matches?” Osamu’s quick to change the topic, scooting his seat next to you as he chews on his lunch. You swat him away, hissing that he should stop talking while his mouth’s full. Osamu only smiles, undeniably cheerier due to the knowledge that you're single once again.

“Well, [Y/n] should be able to do whatever she wants, you twins should stop clinging to her too much.” Suna rolls his eyes in which Osamu defensively replies, “M’not clingy! She signed a contract!”

You look at Osamu for a moment, confused but then you gasp once something clicks inside your mind. "So that's what it was!” You hit Osamu on the arm and he laughs, making you laugh too. Oh. Suna guesses that would classify as flirting if you guys weren’t so desensitized with each other’s playful banter or if you guys aren’t so painfully aware of each other that fear eats both of your system up at the slightest slip of something not being only between ‘friends’. Whatever, why is he trying to analyze this anyway. You turn back to Suna, pouting.

“Rin-chan, can ya believe that?! They made me sign an empty piece of paper when we were kids and they said they’ll use that for somethin’ important! So that’s what it was, huh, ‘Samu? Ya guys are such-” You scrunch your face in feigned disgust as you look back to Osamu and Osamu only rolls his eyes.

“M’surprised ya even remembered.” He chuckles, a sound so delicate and soft that Suna can basically see your pupils dilating with affection.

“F’course. I’ll never forget all the stupid stuff ya guys made me do with ya when we were kids.” You scoff, turning your face away from the twin so he won’t catch the smile threatening to grace your lips. Suna sees though. So you really gave in to your feelings for Osamu in the end and left Aito in the dust. Was Aito just a cover up?

“You guys are so weird.” Suna cuts off his own train of thought. He shouldn’t be so invested in this. Information about your and Osamu’s love life shouldn’t be occupying his brain space at all. He still needs room for when he finds out about Kita’s weakness.

“We’re not.” Both of you say in unison defensively and Suna thinks that you guys must’ve been trained to deny things (even the truth) at an early age. You three are so unnecessarily defensive sometimes.

“Whatever. And it’s not like you can skip anyways. You’re in the cheering squad, remember?”

Your eyes widen. “Oh, yer right!” 

Osamu’s eyes widen too and he places a hand on top of your head, pressing you down. “So yer really plannin’ to skip?!”

“No! I was kidding!” You slap Osamu’s hand repeatedly, trying to get it off as you struggle to push your head back.

Suna unironically thinks you suit each other a lot.

He’s excited about what will happen next. 

***

Nothing eventful really happens in the months that passed by. The twins still had their gruelling morning and night practices, leaving you alone to walk yourself to school and on your way home. Suna isn’t available either, also subjected to that training. It didn’t really matter, you also had a club so it’s not like you’ll be in the mood to play with them even after practice, always dead tired because of the drills you guys are currently focusing on. Exam week came and you did fairly well. The twins and Suna too. You guess that even if you guys act like one brain cell is bouncing off the three of you (Suna has his own), you guys can still somewhat manage. Well, you anyway. The twins are much smarter than anyone gives them credit for.

There was an interesting day though. That time when Atsumu caught a cold and was forced by Kita to go home. He called you during lunch time, indecipherably muttering about how Kita-senpai’s such a nice dude and if he was a girl and he could pick a husband, it’ll be him. Proceeds to correct himself that even if he weren’t a girl, he’d want Kita-senpai as his husband. You didn’t know that Atsumu was sick at that time so you merely thought that he’s off his rockers or that was a genuine confession. Well, you guess it was kind of genuine, looking back.

“Uh… Are ya okay? Where are you?”

“Home…”

“Why?”

“I’ve been tellin’ ya the past minute, [Y/n]! Kita-senpai sent me home and he gave me this nice drink and medin- mecine- uh- _med_ -”

“Shouldn’t ya be restin?”

“But, Kita-senpai was so nice! I needed to tell ya!” He sniffed and your eyes nearly bulged out of your head. _Is he crying?!_ “[Y/n], if ya pick a husband, find someone like Kita-senpai. You can also marry ‘Samu though, guy’s kind of a dick but he’ll take care of ya-”

“‘Tsumu! What are ya sayin’?!” You’re flushed red now, hissing under your breath as Suna and Osamu continued to stare at you. You didn’t know then but Osamu felt nervous. What could Atsumu possibly be saying to fluster you like that?

“Just sayin’ I wouldn’t mind havin’ ya as my sister-in-law-”

“Gosh, just rest! I’ll visit ya later!” You hung up before he could say anything further, turning away from your two companions and smacking both of your cheeks before facing them again with a brilliant smile on your face. Not like you’re faking it, you really are happy.

Because Atsumu, in his state of unwellness, just gave you his blessings. 

“What’d he say?” Osamu asked suspiciously.

“He said he wanted to marry Kita-senpai.” You laughed into your hands and the two bursted out laughing as well. Sure enough, Atsumu was subject to brutal teasing the moment he recovered.

He remembered what he apparently told you though.

“I really don’t mind if ya marry ‘Samu,” he whispered to you during one of your group studies, Suna just on the other side of the table, oblivious. Osamu was out getting snacks. You nudged him on the side.

“Drop it already, what the hell?” You asked, feigning annoyance, trying to hide the fact that you’re nervous as heck because was Atsumu starting to notice? 

“Why don’t ya date me instead?” You suggest in an attempt to ease up the tension because you know he'll never agree to that.

Atsumu rolled his eyes. “Dude, yer my sister from another mother.” He even thumped his chest twice as if to emphasize. You giggled at his absurdity but you were cut short when he leaned into you, whispering. “Can legally be my sister if ya marry him though.” He grinned teasingly.

You turned away from him, pretending to shuffle through some notes to hide your blushing face. You were so distracted you didn’t even notice Suna watching the whole exchange and observing the visible discomfort and nervousness on your face. He glanced at Atsumu, trying to connect the dots.

“Don’t ya like him?” Atsumu asked.

You didn’t answer. Atsumu thought that’s enough of an answer so he dropped the subject. Just in time Osamu arrived back in their room.

Suna left early, Atsumu walking him to the gates, intentionally leaving you alone with Osamu. You cursed a hundred curses under your breath that time because now you’re certain that Atsumu _knows_.

“That’s your plan, huh? Basically bullying her.” Suna scoffed.

Atsumu only shrugged. “Hey, it worked,right?”

“Just let them figure it out by themselves. They’re not kids.”

“They’re idiots though.”

“Well, sure we can push them a little-”

And that’s when they realized they’re sort of losers too because they’re so invested in somebody else’s love life.

(“I-it’s just because they’re so slow, it’s starting to piss me off!”

“Dude, I’ve been with them _for years_ , I’m gettin’ impatient too! M’not a scrub!”)

Inarizaki High got the place as a representative of the Hyogo region again for the nationals, the twins, Suna and Aran-senpai showing everyone just what they’re made of. Actually, all the members of their team are kind of… _freaks_. You mean that in a good way.

“Ya guys really are the strongest challengers,” you said when you three made your way home after the event. The twins just laughed, Atsumu shoving you forward playfully.

“Ya flatter us~” He said, cheekily grinning at you. 

“I really mean it though.”

“We try our best.” Osamu put his hand over his heart and you rolled your eyes at his dramatics. You pushed them forward this time once you guys fell into step once again.

“Win nationals this time, okay?”

“F’course!”

***

“You two fought?” You ask a sulking Osamu beside you in your bedroom, both of you sitting on the floor beside the bed, his body leaning towards in your direction but just a tad shy to actually stick close, especially that you two are alone. He can only muster the courage to rest on your shoulder when Atsumu’s around because then, he won’t feel so weird about taking advantage of your friendship so he can steal such moments with you.

You’re not any good either, hands constantly fidgeting with each other and desperately trying to relax your posture.

Oh, might I add, you two are _alone_ in your bedroom. 

It’s the perfect environment to brew a disaster for two pining idiots who don’t really know what to do with themselves when left alone with each other.

Osamu runs his hand through his hair before letting out a sigh. “‘Tsumu got invited to All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp.”

Your eyes widen in bewilderment at that. “Huh? Really?! Isn’t that great?!” You clasp your hands together as you lean closer to him, eyes all sparkly because you’re so proud of your boys. “You too?!”

Osamu winces, both at your close proximity and words. It takes everything to not move away in fear of offending you and being painfully obvious that he’s in love with you. He casts his gaze down at the ground.

“Naw. Only ‘Tsumu.”

Disappointment drips on your voice as you mutter an, “Oh.”

Osamu doesn’t really care about that stuff but now that you seem like you’re disappointed at him for not being able to make it, he’s starting to feel guilty.

“Why not?” You ask, a bit frustrated as you pout and move back to where you were seated before you got all excited. Osamu bites the inside of his cheek.

But no. He knows the limits he placed upon himself. 

This is why Atsumu’s mad at him in the first place.

“I’m just as good as ‘Tsumu-”

“Yeah! Then why aren’t ya-”

“But.” He looks at you in the eyes and you freeze in place, quickly shutting your mouth and looking at him with an apologetic look for not letting him finish. Osamu smiles at that and scoots closer until your arms are touching. He really likes it when you’re near him, when a part of your skin touches his. It’s like a comfortable warmth envelops his whole body and his chest just feels light despite all the butterflies in his stomach.

He’s loved you for so long and yet it always feels like the crush’s new and just budding. Though he knows better than anyone that it’s already in full bloom.

“‘Tsumu's passion for volleyball burns brighter than mine. They like people like that. The ones who never get satisfied with what they can currently do and are always striving ta improve and learn more.”

“Aren’t ya like that too?” You whisper, somewhat a bit sad that it sounds like he’s giving up. Osamu figures that it's natural that you’ll be just as upset as Atsumu. You’ve seen him and his brother dominate the court as a duo, when there’s one, there’s always the other. He guesses that his decision came out of nowhere for the both of you but he’s always known this all along.

“Naw. I don’t even see myself continuing volleyball after highschool.”

“ _HUH?!_ ”

Osamu laughs at your reaction, tipping his head your way so that your forehead is touching the side of his head. He moves away just as quickly though, fearing that his heart might just explode. He should feel scared, really, because you’re probably about to judge him hard for his life choices but because he knows it’s you, he’s sure that you’ll stand by him no matter what he chooses.

“I plan ta open an onigiri shop. That’s why I’ve been practicin’.” He grins at you proudly and somehow you can’t find it in your heart to question him further on his decision. He seems happy about it and seeing that grin, you decide that it’s best to believe in him. You smile fondly back at him before settling again on your place.

“No wonder ‘Tsumu’s mad.”

“Oh. He doesn’t know that yet. Mind keepin’ it a secret?”

You look at him in disbelief. “That’s not what you two argued about?!”

He chuckles in his hand, genuinely having fun teasing you. “Naw. He’s just mad that I didn’t get jealous of him because of that camp thing.”

You let out a big sigh before shaking your head, once again looking at him like you can’t believe him. You gently shove him, trying to get back at him for the emotional rollercoaster.

“Why are ya even here?! Ya don’t need comfortin’!”

Osamu pushes back your shoves, a laugh bubbling from his chest. You blush at how cheery it sounded and you wonder if it’s because he just unloaded something off his chest.

“I just wanted ta update ya first in case ‘Tsumu comes bitchin’ like he always does.” 

You push back again too. “That’s not very nice.”

“Don’t care, also don’t tell ‘Tsumu, ‘kay?” He stops pushing back and you stop your shoving too, only settling back again on sticking to his side, enjoying his warmth. 

“F’course. It’s between you two brothers after all.” You start to put your head on his shoulder, making him involuntarily tense up. You look at him weirdly at first and you wonder if you’re testing his boundaries too much and should immediately retract but when he looks back at you, expression fond and… loving? Your faces are so close to each other and before you can even comprehend what’s happening, both of you find yourself in a trance, your eyes meeting and you find it that you can’t look away. Then as if you’re on auto-pilot, you start inching closer (you think he does too) and just as you’re about to close your eyes, a knock on your door startles you both, making the two of you jump 5 feet away from each other.

Flustered is an understatement for your state right now. “W-what is it?”

“Atsumu-kun’s asking for ya. Told me if ya can already kick Osamu-kun out since his time has already been used up. Sorry, Osamu-kun but y’know...” Your mother tells you on the other side and you don’t know but you start fixing your appearance as if you two had been doing something naughty. (No, you won’t! Can’t! Didn’t- _Agh!_ )

You stand up from where you’re seated, stumbling a bit because of being lightheaded and Osamu was just about to assist you but you catch yourself, mumbling a thanks before scurrying to the door because you can’t handle it anymore.

W-were you just about to kiss Osamu? 

And did Osamu look like he’s going to kiss you too?!

You hide your beet red face in your hands as you descend the stairs, eager to face Atsumu or anyone really. Just get Osamu out of your sight!

Osamu’s not any better and though the only indication that he’s flustered is his red ears, he still hides his mouth that’s breaking into a grin on one hand, heart hammering into his chest.

He does have a chance after all.


	12. Chapter 12

“I just don’t know what ta do.” You grip your cup of boba milk tea with both hands, looking down at it to avoid making eye contact with the two older gentlemen in front of you. You don’t exactly know how all of you ended up in this situation but here you guys are, sitting inside a quaint milk tea shop and sharing your troubles with each other.

“What do ya mean? Isn’t the only logical next course of action is ta confess?” Kita offers straightforwardly and you fluster, feeling like you’re being scolded.

Well, specifically  _ your _ love troubles.

You honestly don’t know how you ended up being stringed along with them. One moment, you guys are accidentally meeting in the grocery store, having been shopping for snacks and them being on a casual hang out and then the next moment, they’ve invited you for tea and Aran has already managed to get you to confess about what you actually feel for the twins, specifically, for  _ Osamu _ . 

You don’t think Aran and Kita are the types of people to snitch, right?

Gosh, you sure do hope so. 

“I don’t think it’s that easy, Shinsuke.” Aran sighs beside him and you immediately put your hands up, waving it in an attempt to dismiss the topic.

“Oh! Don’t worry about it, senpais! It’s really stupid anyway-”

“I don’t think it’s stupid.” Once again, Kita manages to shut you down and you could only nod and look down at your cup again. You know he isn’t scolding you, if anything that statement was meant to be comforting, but his tone of voice and calculating gaze really makes you feel like it.

“Yeah, it isn’t stupid, [Surname]-chan. Besides, we’re the ones who asked.” Aran assures, not really sure if he should reach over to give you a comforting pat on the shoulder. He doesn’t, feeling that even if you were aware of each other’s existence for years, you guys aren’t really that familiar with each other for that kind of exchange yet. 

You fidget with your hands, watching a drop of water slide down your cup. You’re certain your face is beet red, remembering  _ that _ moment you shared with Osamu that you can’t seem to get out of your mind. You didn’t just imagine that, right?  _ Right? _ Still, you have to ask-

“Umm… Do ya think I have a chance with ‘Samu?”

Aran and Kita immediately share a look and you now know for sure they know something you don’t. Is it good news? Or a bad one? You bite your lower lip.

Aran raises an eyebrow.  _ Should we tell her? _

After mere seconds, Kita shakes his head and they both look back at you. They just communicated telepathically, didn’t they? You know. You do that a lot with the twins.

“Well, if we’re basing it on the mention of ya durin’ practice, we’d be sayin’ Atsumu has a crush on you too, ya know.” Aran laughs, getting that Kita meant that it’s not any of their business really. They’re just bystanders, watching the story unravel by your and Osamu’s fumbling hands.

Though Kita guesses some people need a little push sometimes.

Your face immediately sours at the idea of Atsumu having a crush on you and Aran laughs at that, Kita smiling a bit too because he finds your reaction a bit funny considering the fact that you harbor a crush on the twin of said man. He knows the twins are different from each other but still… he finds himself thinking to himself a lot of time how the two are carbon copies of each other.

Aran thinks they’re the same person, just in a different font.

“You’ve known each other for quite a long time, right?” Kita asks, words coming out of his mouth carefully. You nod. Somehow you find yourself paying full attention because you know that whatever he says will make sense. People tend to overlook things in a fit of anxiety and panic after all. You’ve heard once from the twins that Kita doesn’t seem to know those emotions; just processing everything as he sees it.

“Then I’m sure you, out of all people, will know if ya have a chance.”

You blink.

“There ya are.”

You jump on your seat at the sudden familiar voice, just a little bit far behind you. You look back and find Osamu walking towards you three, one hand tucked in his pocket as he stares at your two companions. He tilts his head.

“Well, isn’t this a rare sight?”

“I know right.” You scramble to stand up, nearly knocking the whole table from the action and you immediately apologize for your clumsiness. Aran just waves it off with a smile, telling you that he’s glad the beverages didn’t spill in any of your clothes. Kita agrees too, muttering about he’s glad you’re okay. 

Your heart warms at that. They’re such nice senpais.

“Sorry Aran-san, Kita-san. M’gonna steal [Y/n] from ya now,” Osamu mutters, staring at his two upperclassman, a bit worried why you three are together. It’s a first, after all. He can’t even think of a reason why you’d join them for tea. He  _ definitely _ did not do a double take when he passed by the shop, seeing you inside with the people he least expected to be with you.

You perk up at that, bowing in apology and in thanks, taking your drink in your hand. Aran and Kita thank you too, waving as Osamu ushers you with him.

“I had fun today, Aran-senpai, Kita-senpai! Hope we could hang out again sometime!” You say with a bright smile, glancing a bit towards Osamu to hint that whatever you guys talked about should be kept a secret. Aran smiles back, holding up a thumbs up while Kita only nods with a tiny smile. You wave at them one final time as Osamu opens the door for you, giving Aran and Kita a polite slight bow as he goes after your form.

Once you guys are outside, Osamu points at your drink and asks what flavor it is. You hold it up to him, urging him to take a sip so he can find out by himself. He scoffs but grabs on the cup anyway, holding your hand too in the process and it takes everything for you to not flinch away and blush when his lips wrap around the straw.

_ Oh, you’re so screwed. _

“W-why’re ya here anyway? How’d ya find me?” You internally curse at yourself for stuttering and you immediately pray to the gods that Osamu doesn’t catch on to that and think of something weird like  _ you having a crush on him, perhaps? _ Thankfully, he doesn’t, too enraptured with the idea that he just had an indirect kiss with you.

“Was waitin’ for ya ta come home but yer takin’ so long. Yer mum told me yer out in town so.” He shrugs, taking your grocery bags from your other hand before adding, “‘Tsumu’s not around. M’bored.”

Oh, right. Atsumu’s in that training camp. You pout and bump him on the shoulder.

“So I’m just yer second choice, huh?”

Osamu raises an eyebrow. “Well, I didn’t say anythin’, you’re the one sayin’ that-”

“Wow, how mean! Ya won’t even deny it!” 

Aran and Kita watch your interaction through the window, eyes following you both even when you and Osamu walk away to go home. Aran exhales through his nose in amusement.

“It’d be real cute if they really ended up together. Prime teasin’ material right there.” He laughs before sipping from his drink.

“They already seem like a couple. Wonder what they’re so afraid of. It’s obvious they like each other.” Kita frowns a bit, genuinely confused as to why Osamu’s too scared to actually go for it. Aran just chuckles awkwardly.

“I’m tellin’ ya, it ain’t that easy.”

Kita looks at Aran. “Why? Do ya know what it’s like?”

Aran stare lingers a bit too long than normal before his attention shifts outside the shop again. “Do ya think [Surname]-chan and Osamu’s kid will call us uncle? I’d really like it if they’re more like a mini [Surname] than a mini Osamu.”

Kita raises an eyebrow at how Aran dodges the question but decides to let it go. He takes a sip from his drink too.

“I don’t think a mini Osamu would be that bad.”

***

“M’back!” Atsumu declares towards you and Osamu in their shared room. You and Osamu had just been arguing while playing Mario Kart when Atsumu basically slammed the door open, arms outstretched to receive the hug he so expects. You didn’t disappoint as you came flying to his arms, giving him a tight squeeze of a hug before letting go.

“I didn’t miss ya at all!” You tease with a laugh as Osamu just hovers behind you, squinting at Atsumu.

“How dare ya not!” Atsumu gasps in a dramatic manner, playing along with your act for a bit before he squints at his twin back, immediately looking behind your backs to ensure you guys weren’t doing anything weird. Once he sees Mario Kart on the screen, he confirms that Osamu hasn't been doing his moves on you while he’s gone so why is he acting like that- but before he can dwell on it, you clasp your hands together in excitement, eyes practically sparkling.

“How is it!?”

Atsumu grins before closing the door behind him and throwing his backpack on his bed. He lies down there and stretches, tired from the commute.

“There’s a lot of interestin’ people! There’s Tobio-kun though, he’s a setter like me and-”

He proceeds to tell you about that certain setter from Miyagi that caught his eyes.

***

Nationals sure do feel like a freaking circus sometimes.

“What the hell? What the hell?  _ What the hell? _ Who’s that number 10?! That lil’ shrimpy!” You grip your pom poms harder as you squint your eyes, trying to get a good look at that orange kid in a distance. It’s really proving to be difficult because you’re quite up on the stands so all you can do is grit your teeth in annoyance. That was such a fast attack! What the hell?! Was that even real? You didn’t hallucinate that, did you?

“Doesn’t matter who he is, let’s just do our part!” Aya says with determination, obviously a bit miffed at this Karasuno team too. They’re  _ insane _ . What is happening?

Though you do have to admit...

It’s fun.

Even the twins think so too, excitement evident on their faces as they focus on their opponents in front of them. Chibi-chan’s certainly stealing the spotlight but you heard from Atsumu that their setter is someone remarkable too. You shift your attention to that raven haired boy. You can’t believe he’s just a first year.

Kageyama Tobio, huh?

“Come on, guys! Let’s change the rhythm!” 

The match continued on, both sides unrelenting and you nearly shrilled in excitement when your twins copied that fast attack the other team just did. What the hell?  _ What the hell?! _ You cheer on them with all you’ve got, heart full knowing that everyone’s having fun.

Atsumu and Osamu turn towards the stands, pointing at you with malicious grins in their faces.  _ Watch us!  _ It said. You can only chuckle and shake your head.

And you know you have to do your part too and even if some people find the cheer team’s tactics in securing the win a bit tactless, then they should mind their own business.

All of you are here for support after all.

***

They lost.

They lost doing that damn fast attack too.

You don’t know what you’re supposed to feel right now but goosebumps are breaking out in your body because you can’t believe a freaking volleyball match is making you feel this way.

No wonder so many people love the sports so much.  _ No wonder the twins love the sports so much. _

You watch an elder scold Atsumu for being a smartass and you can’t help but smile a little despite the tears threatening to spill from your eyes. You feel like they’ve grown during this match too. Everyone’s evolving and you know in your heart you’ll spend an eternity etching the pride of being their friend into your soul. The pride of being there as they go through experiences like this.

“That was a fight well done.”

You clap alongside the others as they bow in thanks, the twins immediately finding you in the crowd. They bow towards you too and you can’t help but wipe the tears that manage to slip through your intense self control. Your lips tremble as you bow back.

You don’t know it but the twins really appreciate that you’re there too, watching over them in a way you know how to.

That’s why you joined the cheerleading club after all.

***

“[Y/n], will ya tell yer kids just how cool we are?” Atsumu suddenly asks, as you guys do your usual ritual after matches; just lounging on whatever bench you guys manage to find as all three of you bask in the exhaustion. You scoff at his question.

“Duh? That’s a given, y’know. I’ll brag about how cool ya guys are for eternity. Not just ta my kids too.”

Osamu eyes your hand that’s splayed on the bench spot near his leg. He has the sudden urge to hold it.

“Damn right. I’ll be the best uncle ever.” Atsumu laughs as he grins at you and Osamu. You just smile in amusement, taking the ‘uncle’ bit in a friendly way. Osamu just rolls his eyes.

Osamu thinks, of course, you’ll brag about them. He’ll make sure your kids know just how amazing their father is. 

He places his hand near yours and he inches his pinky closer, gently tapping your fingers. A blush immediately crept up your nape and ears at the sensation and you just keep your gaze towards a rambling Atsumu because you feel that that gesture is… different from a friendly one.

It’s the way Osamu shyly hooks his pinky finger with yours, the warmth of his hand making you feel butterflies in your stomach.

Osamu revels at how pretty you are blushing even if your head is turned away from him. If Atsumu notices that you’re flustered, he doesn’t dare comment on it.

You hook your finger back, tightening your grip.

Osamu covers his mouth with his free hand as a smile breaks on his face. Dammit, he’s supposed to be upset right now.

He looks back at your hands.

Osamu will make sure that the kids know just how amazing mom is too.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot of details are probably inaccurate but i really dont know what im doing ajsdhja hope u enjoy this nonetheless!! ; q ;

Osamu always knows what he wants.

He isn't indecisive. (Well, when it comes to food he is but that's besides the point-) When he says he's going to do something, you bet he'll do that something without hesitation. 

Which is why he didn't really feel that bad when he finally told Atsumu that he won't be pursuing volleyball after high school.

Atsumu already knew deep inside his heart that that would be the case but he also really hoped that the gut feeling was wrong. But then they are two parts of one whole; one twin is always bound to know what's going on with the other. 

That's how he knew Osamu was (and still is) madly in love with you in the first place.

Doesn't mean it doesn't piss Atsumu off though. As previously stated, they're two parts of one whole. The household name of Miya in the volleyball scene was made possible because they were two of them. Volleyball was fun because they were together, competing with each other. Reaching new heights just so they can outrun the other.

Osamu knew it'll hurt Atsumu. That leaving him alone standing in the court by himself will make the bleached twin lonely and might even unmotivate him enough to quit. Atsumu hoped to play and stay on the court with Osamu ‘till they’re old and gray after all. So Osamu settled for the next best thing that he could do now that both their paths are diverging.

He challenges Atsumu to see who lives a happier life until their deathbed.

“Fine. I’ll come back ta ya in 80 years and let’s see who’ll be happier by then! Ta see who can look the other in the eyes straight on and say that I’m happy with how I lived my life!”

Everyone has their own interpretation of happiness. Happiness is an intangible thing, unable to be measured, so how will they decide who’s the winner by then? Based on who’s less miserable? The one who has fewer regrets? Who knows, really, but Osamu thinks they can settle for that and it’ll be enough of a reason to keep on doing their best on whatever road they chose to walk on.

Atsumu and Osamu know that they not only have to let go of each other. They have to let go of you as well; a girl that has an entirely different route from the one they’re taking. You’ve always told them you didn’t know what to do with your life yet, hinting that you’ll most probably go to college with a program related to business. And that you won’t stay in Hyogo so that you can get more experience out in the real world.

You said it so bittersweetly that even Atsumu can’t help but to get sad. You’ve always known parting with them was inevitable, preparing for it for years now, so it doesn’t really make you that lonely at the thought of it anymore. Atsumu and Osamu have been putting it off, merely enjoying being by your side, so when your final year of senior high comes, the cracks of their own paradise have started to show.

You quit the cheerleading club in favor of studying for college entrance exams, barely paying attention to them anymore because of the pressure of studies. Osamu’s heart sinks whenever you take a brief break, practically sulking and napping in their space and then calling it a hang out. Atsumu calls you lame and a scrub for it but you can hardly care when you’re so sleep-deprived, giving them a kiss on their temple before stumbling back on your own space, ready to study again.

That’s why you and Osamu hadn’t really had the time to sort out your feelings with one another, content with lingering faint touches and stolen glances.

“What are we?” Osamu finds himself muttering one time you were helping him prepare the onigiris. Your heart leaps to your throat and you nearly crush the sticky rice on your hands. Before you can answer something you’ll regret in a fit of panic, the answer being ‘friends’ at the tip of your tongue, Atsumu loudly declares he’s back from the grocery run, making the both of you jump in surprise.

It’s never the right time.

They keep playing for the club, Osamu giving it his best since it’ll be his last year on the scene and Atsumu doing his darndest to enjoy the last moments he’ll play with his twin. You try to be present at their matches, doing your best in holding your part of the bargain that you’ll always watch their plays. The Miya twins are grateful for it, revelling at your presence in the stands, turning back to you in every cool trick they manage to pull off. You laugh at their antics, especially so when Suna scolds them for it. Some things never really change.

It’s bittersweet because the three of you know these moments will probably be the last of it. Atsumu will stand alone on the court, Osamu will end up being a spectator and you’ll probably be too busy to make it personally on Atsumu’s next plays especially since he’ll be going pro.

But those are the things that comes with being an adult. It may suck but it’s an unstoppable force, a strong gust of wind making you let go of things that need to go in order for you to move forward. 

Your paths may diverge but it’s and will always be connected, your lives too intertwined with each other to be torn apart. That applies with Suna, Aran and Kita too. You may have parted ways now but there will always be moments when you meet again in the middle. And then you will part again so you can meet once more.

Karasuno didn’t make it to the nationals, which pisses Atsumu off because he was looking forward to facing ‘Shouyo’ (as he calls him) again. To watch that original quick attack with his own eyes.

“I’ll set for him someday, I’ll make sure of it. I don’t need ya at all ta do that attack, ‘Samu,” Atsumu says haughtily which makes Osamu roll his eyes. It’s no doubt Hinata will walk the path of volleyball. The hunger of that kid is terrifying.

Osamu wonders which band of misfits will be with Atsumu when he finally stands on a bigger stage. He won’t be pursuing volleyball anymore but his love for it will never fade. He’ll cheer for his brother with all his heart even if in secret.

Time flies and just as winter came and went, spring has once again made the cherry trees blossom.

It’s time for your graduation. 

The ceremony is quite alright thought it ended with you having a messy makeup from all the crying you’ve done as your classmates and some of your friends from other classes bid and hug you farewell with a few words of encouragement thrown here and there. It’s another ending to make way for another beginning.

The Miya twins are swamped with people they know too, most of them being fangirls and there are some juniors who attended the ceremony too, crowding against them, shooting their shot one last time before the twins can go on their own way. Atsumu kind of likes the attention and since he’s in a good mood, he humors those who have gifts for him but completely ignores the love letters shoved his way. (He’s thankful you’re quite out of sight because if you saw him being rude to girls again, you’re gonna give him a lecture he’s heard a hundred times.)

Osamu accepts the food gifts but turns down the confessions, apologizing that he cannot reciprocate because his heart already belongs to someone else. That leads to the girls on Osamu’s side being more dejected than the ones who are being blatantly ignored by Atsumu. After some time, Osamu just finds it annoying so he breaks away from them, excusing himself to look for you.

You’ll be moving to Tokyo soon so he figures he should just get this over with and confess. If you suddenly find yourself not liking him anymore at this time then you guys can at least brush off some hard feelings while you’re both away from each other. He swallows. Your friendship with him isn’t something so fragile to be broken by a rejection, right? Gosh, he sure does hope so.

He spots you near one of the cherry blossom trees, chatting and taking a picture with Aya, so he settles on a nearby bench to wait for you guys to finish up. He watches you intently, chuckling at himself at how obvious it is that you’ve been crying because of how puffy your eyes are and how your makeup that’s been ruined was painstakingly put back together again to achieve a semblance of decency. 

Osamu just watches you laugh like an angel as always, that wide smile never failing to put butterflies in his stomach. Just staring at you makes his whole chest feel warm and he’s always known this but he really is utterly, foolishly, wholeheartedly in love with you.

Happiness is an intangible thing but sometimes he finds himself thinking that it’s a tangible one.

Happiness that is in the form of you.

Aya finally bids you goodbye and Osamu is just standing up and is about to call for your name but another figure beats him to it, catching your attention and then giving you a small bouquet of flowers. Osamu suddenly feels like he’s been dumped with a cold bucket of water, all the warmth he’s feeling suddenly disappearing.

You smile shyly, accepting the bouquet before nervously tucking your hair back again. The figure smiles back before saying something that he can’t quite hear. You flush at that, making the other one laugh and beckon you in a hug. You look like you complained a bit but you eventually step forward and fall into the man’s embrace, laughing and looking genuinely happy.

Genuinely happy in Aito’s arms. 

Osamu bites the inside of his cheek to lessen the pain in his chest and then turn back to where he came from. He bumps into Suna on the way, making the latter flinch in surprise.

“Oh, there you are. Where’s [Y/n]?” Suna asks but then immediately clams his mouth shut once he notices that Osamu’s in a sour mood. He looks at the man in confusion. 

Osamu just sighs and rubs the side of his neck. “She’s with Fukoshiro.”

“Oh.”

_Oh dear._

“Where are they?” Suna continues on anyway, determined to hug you just this once on this special day. And maybe ask you what that was about to clear things up and at least cheer up Osamu a bit if it turns out to be nothing. It’s graduation day for fuck’s sake, man should lighten up a bit.

Osamu just points in the direction where he came from and Suna could do nothing but pat him on the shoulder as consolation before he goes his own way, leaving Osamu behind. Osamu can only sweep his hair back and sigh.

Osamu always knows what he wants.

He isn't indecisive. (Well, when it comes to food he is but that's besides the point-) When he says he's going to do something, you bet he'll do that something without hesitation. 

But with you, it’s more than hesitation. It’s actual fear. He’s terrified. Terrified that you’ll reject him, terrified that he’ll ruin the bond you built with them after all those years, terrified that you won’t look him in the eye again and show him that radiant smile of yours.

He knows you better than that. That you’re kind. That you’ll smile at him no matter what. That your friendship wouldn’t break over something so stupid like his feelings. He guesses he just finds comfort and solace knowing that he has actual reasons to be scared so he ignores all of that rationality.

Most of all, he’s terrified that he can’t handle the thought of his heart completely breaking because of your rejection and knowing that he can’t love another again as much as he loved you. That he’ll spend his whole life pining over you, so close yet far away from his grasp.

You come back with Suna a little later, the man nervously looking at Osamu as you laugh and approach the twins, taking Osamu’s face in your hands. You rub his cheek with your thumb.

“Ya can cry too, huh?”

Osamu notices that Suna’s holding the bouquet. He closes his eyes and leans into your touch.

It’s never the right time.

***

Your acceptance letter from one of the universities in Tokyo is met with a bunch of excited shouting, from you and from the Miya twins, the three of you practically circling your phone on the floor containing the words _‘Congratulations, [Surname], [Y/n]-’_. They were the first one you told, immediately bolting to the Miya residence and hurriedly apologizing to Mrs. Miya for the intrusion, practically tripping on their staircase as you knocked on their bedroom door.

After the almost ritualistic excited shouting, the twins envelop you in a hug, shouting words of congratulations this time. You laugh as their excitement has you three falling to the floor, happiness radiating from each one of you as if your success is also theirs.

(Which is true in a way. That’s what friends are for, right? To share your happiness and sadness with. You and the Miya twins have shared more than that.)

The two drag you down to Mrs. Miya once you guys recover, Atsumu proudly declaring you made it into a university to their mom. Mrs. Miya is also over the moon excited, giving you a tight hug as well and offering to cook you something. You tell her that you’ll be back for snacks and you give her a kiss on the cheek before giving her a tight hug again, thanking her and excusing yourself because you haven’t told your family yet.

“I’ll be back! Thank you!” You grin at them enthusiastically before running off back to your own house.

When the Miya household's door shuts behind you, their mom finds herself laughing tenderly, looking at Osamu fondly.

“I really want her ta be my daughter-in-law~ My, if only one of my sons would get the courage ta ask her out~” 

Osamu scoffs and Atsumu chortles. It isn’t long before they started another impromptu-shoving contest (which was stopped by Miya mama asking them to help her prepare for the snacks they promised you).

A few months pass and then you find your days spent with you packing up with the twins’ help, carefully placing stuff you deemed worthy to bring with you in your apartment in Tokyo in boxes. Osamu feels a bit melancholic seeing your room go a bit empty since most of your stuff is being placed away to move to a new place. He sighs and looks at Atsumu. He knows he feels the same way but heck, the twins would rather get roasted by Kita and Suna for a few hours than admit that seeing you go is gonna be extremely lonely. 

Verbally anyway.

They can sense that you’re a bit sad too, eyes glazing a bit now and then as you stare at seemingly empty spots, only snapping back to reality when you get startled by one of the twins moving. Osamu looks down at his hand holding a small piggy bank he gifted you back in middle school when you mentioned one time that you wanted to try saving up. 

“Will ya be bringing this?” Osamu asks as he holds up the piggy bank to you and your eyes sparkle a bit in excitement, reaching for it with a smile. Osamu feels warm.

You look at it fondly for a while before pouting and sighing, placing it on your desk. “Naw, I think I’d leave it here.” You give its nose a little boop. “Ya gave me this, right?”

“Yeah.”

So you’ll leave it behind, huh…

“How’d ya find an apartment? Ya been scoutin’ for months or somethin’?” Atsumu asks, trying to distract the both of you from going to sadness town until you three have finished up your work. Your eyes widen and you suddenly fidget, eyes going back and forth from the two.

“Um… I got help from Aito-kun.”

“WHAT?!” Atsumu stands from arranging one of the boxes and Osamu finds his jaw slackening as well from the shock.

You quickly raise both your hands up in defense. “Don’t worry! We’re on good terms and he really just helped me with the apartment!” 

Atsumu narrows his eyes at you and Osamu can’t help but ask- 

“What’s with the bouquet during graduation then?”

Your eyes widen this time but you quickly furrow your brows, sighing. 

“It’s just a friendly gesture, geez. He’ll be helping me move my stuff too since he’s also going ta study nearby. He figured he’s going ta drive there anyway and the van is too big for his few stuff so he offered.” 

You three are quiet for a few moments before Atsumu brushes his hair back and goes back to crouching over that box he was working on, sighing. 

“Well, as long as he doesn’t do anythin’ funny.”

You scoff at that, turning back to whatever you were doing as well.

Osamu has no choice but to go back to what he was doing, one hand digging his fingernails into his palm.

Are you about to be swept away again?

***

Aito shows up days later to get all your stuff and the twins begrudgingly help load it into his van, securing your stuff and vaguely threatening Aito. The man can only laugh at their behavior, obviously past his animosity with them and he just turns to you to reassure you that he’ll get your stuff there securely even if the drive’s going to be long. You thank him and your mom hands him some money in an envelope which Aito hesitantly accepts.

“Yer drivin’ alone?” You ask as he opens the door on the driver’s side. He grins at you.

“Naw. M’with someone.”

You nod and your family and the Miyas send him off, wishing him safe travels and such.

You’ll be going to Tokyo the next day too, staying there to get used a bit before you start university. Unfortunately, something came up with Atsumu from the volleyball league and he wouldn't be able to send you off because it clashes with his schedule. He spends the whole day grumpy about it, clinging to you more than usual and always reminding you to message him so that he knows you’re safe.

“What are ya, her boyfriend or somethin’?” Osamu scowls once he gets annoyed with Atsumu’s whiny ass and that question is just met with one of Atsumu’s venomous glares.

“Shut up, scrub.”

You laugh nervously and change the topic, telling them about how you’re excited to go to the tourist spots in Tokyo in an attempt to keep things lively before the three of you part ways. You promise you’ll always message them in order to assure them (which kind of worked) and honestly, Osamu may act like he’s hot shit but he also ends up latching on to you the same way Atsumu does; the two acting like your big babies one last time before they make an attempt to act like adults without the usual gang on their sides.

You spend the evening with Atsumu giving you the tightest hug, so tight that you thought your spine will break in half and a lot of kisses on the cheek as he murmurs about how he’ll miss you a lot and how you should contact him frequently even if he doesn’t reply. You swat at him.

“Geez, such an overbearin’ mum. Just go already,” you laugh as he waves goodbye, slapping Osamu on the arm before he makes his way towards the station. It will just be a few hours from now and you’ll have to go as well and Osamu finds himself not wanting to budge on his spot to return to his house, just staring at his feet as he waits for you to say something.

“Wanna go inside and talk ‘till it’s time ta go?” You lean down so you enter his line of vision and he can only look at you fondly before nodding. You nod as well before carefully taking his hand in yours, a small gesture that never fails to make him feel things and he squeezes your small hand, hoping to convey how upset he is that you’re leaving.

You spend the next few hours napping and talking about things; about your childhood, stupid moments you’ve shared with them, their volleyball matches, your plans for the future, stupid Atsumu moments. Your laughs intertwining to create a harmonious melody and Osamu has once again realized just how much he loves being with you. Being next to you, just existing, heart beating a rhythm meant only for you. 

“I can’t wait ta eat at Onigiri Miya. Ya better serve me the best onigiri there is in all of Japan!” You laugh in your hands and Osamu can only roll his eyes at your exaggeration.

“Come visit in Hyogo then when ya have the time.” 

“F’course. It’s just a few hours,” you mutter looking at him fondly. He smiles tenderly before bringing up his hand to hold out his pinky finger and you hook your pinky with his, shaking on it.

“Promise.”

It’s not a few hours later that the reality of you _really_ leaving has finally sunk in and made Osamu feel cold and numb, the sight of you on his side all bundled up for a long travel making him tear up a bit. He almost tells you not to go, beg you even. Just stay by his side, marry him, and he’ll give you everything you wish for. He’d work hard to make Onigiri Miya prosper, make enough for you and him to build a family. Brag to Atsumu that he’s acquired happiness that not even he could comprehend.

The train stops in front of them and opens up, people streaming out and then a few people start going in.

“My train’s here. See ya around, ‘Samu.” You smile bitterly before pulling him in a hug, squeezing him briefly before letting go, afraid that you won’t let go if you stayed a little longer in his embrace. You kiss him on the cheek, muttering a goodbye under your breath before heading for the entrance.

Happiness is an intangible thing but sometimes he finds himself thinking that it’s a tangible one.

“[Y/n]!” 

You look back at him.

“I love you.”

The train doors close.

Happiness that is in the form of you.


	14. Chapter 14

Osamu’s heart’s still beating fast when he comes home, hand clutching his shirt over his chest, willing it to calm down. He’s such an idiot. A coward, even, for confessing just when you’re about to leave for another prefecture, not even giving you a chance to react as the train doors close and sever the space in between you two.

He convinces himself it’s enough. That you’ll understand why he decided to say it during your departure and hope that you’ll process and mull over what he said as your train bullets to your destination.

Osamu waits hours, hoping for at least a text that reciprocates or rejects his feelings but it never comes. The one he receives instead hours later is of you telling him you arrived safely in Tokyo.

He still waits, figuring that maybe you need a bit more time to respond. It was a declaration of love after all, one from your childhood friend nonetheless. (Though he keeps thinking about how you went out with Aito, a complete stranger, in a heartbeat.) He waits days until days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. Osamu then reasons that maybe you didn't hear him but he highly doubts it... you turned back to him when he called your name and he saw your eyes widen once he uttered those three words that have long been blooming inside his chest.

Osamu clenches his jaw.

Maybe this silence is a rejection.

He never mentions the topic, too afraid to confirm if it’s true or not. There must be a reason why you haven’t said anything, right? Maybe you’re trying to ignore it, pretending that nothing happened so as to not put a strain in your friendship.

He guesses that’s okay. He’d rather be friendzoned than have you gone from his life entirely.

Adult life is a bit of a bitch too. You and the Miya twins haven’t been talking consistently, your group chat only popping with messages once or twice every 2 weeks. Sometimes it’s mostly just him and Atsumu updating one another and it’d take you like a day before you even bluetick their messages, sending a vague reply just to be polite. Atsumu expressed to Osamu once during a video call that he gets pissed about that especially when you usually only reply with a cute sticker. Osamu could only shrug and try his best to defend you. (“Give ‘er a break.” “ _GiVe ‘Er a bReAk_. Yer lonely too, aren’t ya?” “Shut up.”)

When he opened up Onigiri Miya, Atsumu had been there even if only for a bit of time but you sadly couldn’t make it since you had exams to attend to. Still, Osamu was happy that you took out a time of your day (even if it was late in the evening) just to call and congratulate him, the cheer of your voice hiding the underlying tiredness you felt after pulling an all-nighter.

The twins know you’re busy. Heck, they’re busy too but they get that university is some kind of special hell. The twins don’t mind the effort and frustration that comes with their chosen aspirations but they worry about you sometimes. You happen to join them on a video call one time and Atsumu spent half an hour just making fun of the dark circles under your eyes while you pout cutely at them, falling asleep just a tad later to the drone of their voices as Atsumu and Osamu chatter away to inform you of what you’ve missed in their lives. You’re not entirely a straight-A student but you do like putting in effort in whatever you choose to do regardless whether you like it or not so Osamu knows the workload is taking a toll on you judging by how tired you seem just by that simple call alone.

(Atsumu takes a bunch of screenshots of your sleeping face and sends them privately to Osamu, teasing the quieter twin that it's [Y/n] crumbs to cater to his lonely love struck heart. Osamu scoffs that he could’ve taken screenshots himself but they both know he’s too awkward to do that. Atsumu tells him as much.)

Sometimes a nagging voice in the back of Osamu’s head tells him that maybe you don’t have much time for them anymore too because you met someone new, mingling with city boys that are far more attractive than they are and being easily whisked away by their charms. Osamu acknowledges that it’s a stupid thought but he entertains the possibility anyway.

There’s also the chance that you might’ve rekindled your relationship with Aito. He knew there was something different when he saw you guys interact during graduation day. The way you flushed and shyly tucked your hair behind your ear. The way he chuckled and beckoned you to come into his arms, your form falling happily into his embrace.

Osamu cries about it once after a long day at the restaurant, tears spilling out as he’s left alone with his thoughts on an empty Onigiri Miya. He continues washing the dishes, sniffling, and thinking to himself how pathetic he is. How Atsumu would never live this down if he knew. So, Osamu obviously decides no one will ever know that he just suddenly broke down one tired evening, regretting everything he hasn’t done because you’re currently not by his side.

He doesn’t know why and he thinks he’ll never know why you have this effect on him. He’s a calm individual, sometimes prone to exploding when irritated enough, but with you... he finds himself feeling a whole spectrum of emotions. Most of it is good, like he’s floating above the clouds, but when it’s bad, it gets really bad. You wear the crown of being the only one who can make him cry. Unintentionally too, he might add.

He knows the road to happiness isn’t always smooth sailing. Life is a rocky path, one might even call it sadistic, but such is the nature of things. One doesn’t always get what he wants and it’s okay.

His chest hurts. You are more than just a want. You’re almost a need.

_What a scrub._

One particular late evening, the bell alerts Osamu and Kita of a new patron.

“Sorry but we’re already closed-”

Osamu’s eyes widen and he swears his heart almost stops from the shock.

You come stumbling inside without any prior notice that you’re coming back to Hyogo, aura a bit different as you look around the establishment endearingly. You look a little bit different too, sporting a new haircut that’s a bit dishevelled possibly because of the commute. Kita didn’t recognize you at first but Osamu on the other hand feels like an angel just arrived and has come to steal his heart once again.

Osamu says your name excitedly and you beam, practically speed walking towards him and jumping to his arms over the counter, arms wrapping around his neck as you cheerily tell him how you’re so proud of him and how pretty you think the place is. He hugs you back tightly, eyes closing to savor the feeling of you in his embrace, your soft-scented cologne making his stomach do flips.

He missed you.

Your warmth leaves him too soon for his liking since you let go of him in favor of greeting Kita, shyly bowing and apologizing to the older man for the sudden outburst. Kita spares Osamu a knowing glance before greeting you back, expressing how you’re a welcome sight. You giggle at that and Osamu’s just about to ask why you were there when the bell alerts the three of you of another newcomer.

Osamu’s mood sours and the heaviness on his chest he knows so well settled itself there once again. 

Unlike you who strutted in like you owned the place (you could in theory if you marry Osamu-), Aito lingers on the doorway, sheepishly looking at Osamu and Kita before turning his gaze on you.

“Sorry, ‘m just here to check on [Y/n]. Ya okay now?”

“Oh!” you exclaim as if you just remembered something, waddling towards Aito and giving him a big hug, one he easily reciprocates. Osamu feels a pang on his chest and he has to look away, grabbing a rug so he can busy himself with wiping the already clean counter. Kita watches him warily.

“M’okay! Thanks for the ride and sorry for the bother, Ai-kun. Take care on yer way home!” You pat the man on his arm and laughs, making Aito smile and nod, looking towards the other two inside the restaurant.

“Here’s yer girl.” Aito chuckles and pushes you back further in the establishment before bidding all of you goodbye and good night. You seem to fluster at that, glaring at Aito’s disappearing form before sighing and making your way back towards the counter. Osamu wonders what the hell does that mean.

Kita has to bite back a smile because he gets it. 

He also thinks Osamu’s an idiot.

“Well, it looks like it’s my time ta go now too. It’s pretty late,” Kita murmurs, gathering his things as he gets ready to leave. You make a disappointed noise as you take your seat in one of the stools, propping your head with a hand as you look at Kita.

“What were ya doin’ here so late anyway, Kita-senpai? Are ya like... a special customer or somethin’?” You sort of grimace at how forward you sounded (you’re not really sure how you should word your question) but before you can apologize, Kita just chuckles and waves you off, signalling that it’s fine.

“We were discussin' business.”

“Business?” You tilt your head. Is Kita an investor or something?

Osamu can only smile at your confused face, immediately forgetting the bad feelings that Aito brought upon him now that the man was gone. What matters is you’re here now, looking ethereal as ever and at home.

“Kita-san’s a rice farmer,” Osamu answers for you and you perk up at that, eyes shining with admiration.

“Really?! Oh man, so yer supplyin’ ‘Samu?!” You clasp your hands together and Kita smiles. You grin, laughing in your hands. “I can’t wait to taste the onigiri then! I’m sure it’s the best damn rice I’ll ever taste in my life!”

“Yer too good to me, [Surname].” Kita stands up from his stool, shrugging his coat over his shoulder, refusing to wear the sleeves even now, hating the static. “I have yet to supply him anythin’ you know.”

“Oh, it isn’t harvest season yet, huh?” You tap your chin before smiling towards him anyways. “Well, regardless, it’s something to look forward to!” 

Kita can only snort as he murmurs goodbyes to the both of you, wishing each of you to have a good evening and shooting Osamu a knowing look, one that Osamu tries to pointedly ignore.

Once the front door shuts close, nervousness settles inside Osamu’s nerves, making him utter just whatever comes to mind in an effort to avoid thinking of and confronting your rejection. This is the first time he’s seen you again after that disastrous confession after all.

“Have you eaten dinner yet?” He asks, clutching the rug in one of his hands too tightly to be natural. Being alone with you after so long of being apart is enough to make his senses go overdrive. Gosh, he knows he’s in love with you but to confirm it time and time again just by you gracing him with your presence, even he’s starting to think it’s kind of ridiculous.

You grin at him. Osamu misses that smile. If only he could kiss you and make you affectionately laugh.

“Yep but if yer gonna offer me one of your specials, I don’t mind a little evening snack.”

You don’t have to say anything more as he immediately sets off to work on the best onigiri he’s ever done, eager to please you as always and have that radiant smile directed towards him. He ignores how his hand shakes a little bit, emotions a mess and overwhelming inside of him.

“So what brings ya here?” He tries his best to not let his voice shake, clearing his throat after that sentence so he can speak more firmly next time. He can feel you staring at his back, his back searing just by that knowledge alone.

“Well, I have a week off and I figured why not? ‘Tsumu’s ‘bout to play somewhere near here too, no? I wanna watch!” You answer in a sing-song voice, legs swinging in amusement. Osamu has to bite the inside of his cheek. So you’re here for Atsumu, huh.

“Yeah. M’gonna get a stand workin’ actually. I wanna watch him too.”

“Then we can go together! I can even help ya with yer stand if ya want!”

Osamu hesitates for a second before murmuring, “That’d be nice.”

You immediately divert the conversation. “Hey, this place is lookin’ really good, y’know! I was so upset I wasn’t here on its first day. I would’ve offered ya my entire life savings.” 

Osamu snorts, amused. “Really?”

When he looks over his shoulder, his breath hitches because you beam at him the moment your eyes catch his.

“Really.”

He has to tear his eyes away. He almost confesses to you there and then again but he holds his tongue.

“Then it won’t be much, huh. Maybe five… no… seven onigiris-” “Hey!”

You both laugh and the conversation flows easier then, both of you catching up and telling stories that neither of you have shared in messages, you mostly gesturing wildly as you try to reenact the absurd things you managed to witness on campus. Osamu shares his stories too and some mild gossiping about Atsumu’s life and then before the both of you knew it, the plates are already empty and you’re licking your fingers clean before wiping it on tissue.

“Gosh, ‘Samu. That was delicious! You’d make such a good wife,” you say with a chuckle, punching him lightly on the arm. He holds the spot you punched, not because it hurt but because your touch sends the familiar tingling he always felt when your hands find his skin. He grips it with his hand, savoring it.

Osamu says nothing and can’t help but just stare fondly at you, not even daring to joke about how you should make him your wife because it won’t really be a joke on his part and it’d hurt his ego to see you nonchalantly brush it off. You seem to notice the shift in his mood and he can see you briefly panic before tipping his hat down, forcing him to look down and break his gaze towards you.

“Forgot to mention it earlier but ya dyed your hair back to its natural color, huh?” The cheeky grin can be heard on your voice even when he hasn’t looked up. He can only roll his eyes. “Ya lookin’ pretty handsome, ‘Samu-chan~”

Osamu rests his elbow on the counter and then his chin on his palm, trying to hide the smile and blush that’s making it’s way on his face. Osamu feels a little tipsy even if he hasn’t downed a single drop of alcohol this day. 

“It’s already on the house [Y/n], ya can stop sucking up ta me now.”

“Aw, ya big baby!” You giggle and knock your shoulder with his, teasing him. Osamu bites his lower lip, trying to stop himself from smiling and gives you the best glare he can muster in his amused state. You only stick your tongue out at him.

You spend another few minutes just chatting with each other and at one point, both of you have messaged Atsumu just to shit on him, making him jealous that the both of you are together right now, sending the bleached twin a lot of selfies in order to fuel the fire. 

But then you start to yawn.

Osamu perks up.

“Yer tired, aren’t ya? Ya should go home now so ya can get some rest. I’ll stay here a little bit more and tidy up.” Osamu rises from his chair and gathers the plates, looking at you as if he’s a mom telling off his child. You pout.

“Really? S’that alright?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? Go already, you scrub. It’s been a long day.”

You whine a bit more but Osamu wasn’t having any of it, figuring that this is one of the rare times you get a break and you should spend it resting, not hanging out with a guy as lame as him. After a bit of a futile fight, you finally give in when he scrunches his nose in annoyance at you being stubborn and ruffles your hair affectionately. You didn’t stop pouting though even as you stand up and walk towards the door. Osamu only laughs.

“‘Samu, yer such a scrub!” You say as you open the door, sliding it carefully despite the dramatics you’re putting on. Osamu can only roll his eyes at your antics, hiding the fact that he thinks you’re acting cute on purpose. He waits for you to go so he can finally have a meltdown over the fact that you’re here again and reassess his life choices; once again beat himself over the decision of whether he should shoot his shot again or not. But then Aito might be your boyfriend again or something. _Shit-_

But you don’t go. You linger on the doorway, your back to him. Osamu’s heartbeat quickens, immediately making his way around the counter to check if something’s wrong.

“Is there somethin’ wrong? Did ya see somethin’-”

“H-hey, ‘Samu.”

He freezes in place, moreso when he sees the tip of your ears starting to turn pink, your body suddenly looking like it’s shrinking in place. He can almost feel his heart leap out of his throat. 

Osamu waits for you to continue. 

You look down, back still to him, refusing to meet his gaze. 

“In the station months ago…”

Osamu’s eyes widens. Shit. _Shit shit shit shit shit-_

“Did you really mean it?”

Osamu can barely breathe. He clenches his hands into fists and stands a little straighter.

One second.

He breathes out.

Two seconds.

The clock ticks on the background.

Three seconds.

“Yeah.”

Silence. The beating of his heart the only thing occupying his eardrums.

“I love you, [Y/n].” The words felt nice to say. He means it with his whole heart. His heart was already in your hands a long time ago, even way before you knew how he felt, offering it to you, silently tucking it inside of your hands with every touch of his fingers on your palm.

It has always been yours; to do whatever you want with it and damn, did you make him feel a lot of things. Good and bad. Still, he’ll never exchange these feelings for anything in the world.

Loving you is something he’ll never forget nor would want to forget.

Your grip on the door tightens and when you speak your voice trembles.

“Ya idiot.”

His stomach sinks. Did he screw up? He did, didn’t he? But then, he’s tired of running away. He looks down. At least he took this risk. His heart has always been yours, you’re free to do whatever you want with it. Even shatter it into the ground. He wouldn’t even get mad. As long as it’s you-

“I love you too.”

Osamu looks up in shock, your back still to him, stubbornly refusing to face him still. Your shoulders are tense and your ears are vividly red now. 

He feels like his heart just stopped. He suddenly can’t hear anything, just a static noise. Is this a dream? Is this really happening? Is he dying? He blinks multiple times, trying to process what just occurred but then you suddenly start to sprint, closing the door with a loud slam. That shakes Osamu out of his thoughts.

“Wh-” he starts, swallowing the shock, all his doubts, fears, everything- “Wait!”

He starts to sprint too, opening and closing the door of the restaurant with a slam and runs after you, his hat getting blown away by the wind. He sees you in the far distance, running like your life depended on it and he somehow can’t help the laughter that’s starting to bubble from his chest, letting it out as he basks in the affection he feels for you.

This is the girl he’s in love with.

An idiot who literally runs away after confessing her feelings to the guy she likes.

 _No_ . You said ‘ _love_ ’, didn’t you?

Osamu can’t even stop the grin that’s now plastered on his face and for once in his life, he can say he’s genuinely happy. Like everything is right in the world. He feels light and for some reason he feels like he’ll start crying tears of happiness in any minute.

How could he not?

_You said you love him too._

“[Y/n]! You scrub! I said ‘ _wait_ ’! Come back here!” He shouts after you but you just keep running. It’s only when he’s about to catch up to you that you shout for him to stop, mirth evident in your voice despite the situation and it fills him with so much warmth to know that you’re happy like he is too. So he does halt, bending to your whims as he always does.

You stop too but you maintain a fair distance between you two, bending over, your hands on your knees as you struggle to catch your breath. You’ve just eaten too so your side is starting to hurt. You don’t really know why you started to run.

Just kidding. You know. You’re embarrassed as all heck; physically can’t handle his reaction so you just bolted. You mean, he technically did that too. He ran away when he confessed, waiting the last minute before he uttered those three precious words to you.

You spent half the train ride to Tokyo crying, cursing at him for doing such a thing.

You finally look up when you manage to compose yourself and your eyebrows furrow when Osamu had the audacity to look like he hadn’t broken a sweat (and to look good- _no- wait-_ you mean- _ugh_ , damn these sports people!).

You find yourself unable to meet his eyes, heat immediately making its way on your nape and cheeks and you convince yourself that the burn is just from exhaustion, not because of the way he looks at you.

Why does he look at you like that? ...Like you’re a very precious thing, something that he’s looked forward to all his life. Even volleyball didn’t make his eyes shine that much.

_I love you, [Y/n]._

You curse under your breath.

Osamu is the first to speak.

“Why’d ya wait this long to say it back?”

You bite your lower lip.

“I wanted ta get revenge since ya confessed ta me when I was leaving! Like, who does that?! Are we in a drama or somethin’?!” 

This time it’s Osamu’s turn to be flustered.

“Look, I’ve loved ya all my life and I just…” He swallows when he sees you blush more at his words, one of your hands covering your face in embarrassment and he swears he feels like he’s gonna combust. If his heart could jump out of its cage, it would’ve been out right now, dancing on his grave.

“It’s not that easy,” he says with finality and you understand. Heck, you were content in keeping your feelings hidden for all of eternity, not having any plans whatsoever in confessing but then he went and just did it.

“I felt like I was losing you and I just…” He rubs the side of his neck, not really sure how to continue.

You both stare at the ground.

You clear your throat and straighten up, tucking your hair behind your ear and trying to seem composed despite looking like you’ve just downed a lot of alcoholic drinks with how red your face is.

When you speak though, your voice is so quiet that Osamu had to strain himself to hear it since he’s a few feet away from you.

“I waited ta say it so I can tell it ta you in person.” You finally look him in the eyes and Osamu swears he feels a little bit lightheaded because of it. You’re so pretty.

You think Osamu looks pretty too, the light from one of the evening lamps shining on him and making him look like he’s a deity. You think it’s illegal. You feel warm. You can’t believe this man adores you just as much as you adore him.

(Osamu would argue. He most definitely adores you more.)

“I’ve loved ya all my life too, ‘Samu.” You tilt your head and then smile that smile that gives him butterflies in his stomach. “Would ya please have me?”

Osamu blinks rapidly, trying not to cry. His heart feels so full. This is what happiness is like; he’s always known that it was with you. _You_. Something tangible but at the same time priceless and immeasurable.

He almost chokes on his words as he responds, “If you’ll have me.”

You laugh into your hand and he finds himself laughing too, ruffling his dark hair because of how silly and happy he feels at this moment and once he sees you hold your arms up for a hug, he immediately runs towards you, hands reaching, reaching, so quickly to seize his happiness into his arms. 

He almost knocks both of you into the ground but he braces your body and his, enveloping you into the warmth of his embrace, burying his face into the crook of your neck, letting his senses be overwhelmed with your body heat and scent. It isn’t long before you feel droplets of tears on your skin, his arms squeezing you tightly as if he fears that once he lets go you’ll disappear. That once he lets go, he’ll find out that all of this is just a dream. Your lips tremble as you hear him sniffle, trying to stop yourself from crying too because you’re equally as overwhelmed. You kiss him on the cheek.

Yours.

“Why’re ya cryin’? Are ya that sad that yer mine now?” You tease him despite your voice cracking, hands holding onto him just as hard. He moves away a bit, resting his forehead on yours and despite tears streaming down his face, his eyes have a light that holds all of his affection for you. You reach for his cheeks, gently wiping away his tears and he closes his eyes, leaning into your touch. 

“I was afraid that Aito will snatch ya away again.”

You snort. “No way, he has a new girlfriend now y’know. And-”

Osamu opens his eyes when you cut yourself short and blinks again, trying to stop himself from crying like a big baby. He raises an eyebrow.

“And?”

You bite your lower lip. Osamu really wants to kiss you right now.

“I only dated him so I can get over ya.”

That leaves Osamu weak on the knees and at the same time, he feels a slight tinge of pain because of the fact that you resorted to that just to get over him.

“Yer an idiot.” He grimaces and you only look at him sheepishly.

“Yeah.”

“I was heartbroken when ya started datin’ him.”

“M’sorry.”

“Ya better be,” he murmurs and you laugh because he sounds like a child. You squeeze his arm before smiling contentedly at him, your eyes glimmering with love. You never really fail to take his breath away.

“Can I kiss ya?”

You blush, hand immediately flying up to your face so you can hide. He nudges it away with his nose which makes you blush more.

You eventually murmur a ‘yeah’ just as he was busy admiring the redness of your cheek.

Osamu suddenly feels nervous, not really expecting for him to get this far so he’s not certain what to do. He wants to make it special and after a few moments of him just staring at your lips, you become impatient and pull him down yourself, giving him a quick and brutal peck.

He hiss in pain, moving away a bit because he hit his forehead with yours too, rubbing it before rubbing yours. You only grin at him mischievously and he sighs.

“And here I thought I’d make our first kiss special.”

You rest your chin on his chest. 

“Is it not?”

Osamu’s heart skips a beat. His hand reaches your face so he can tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. He cups your cheek.

“It is.” He smiles. Everything is special as long as it’s with you. “Can I kiss ya more?”

“Yeah.”

You guys do it properly this time, lips touching and molding with one another. Osamu feels like crying again because your lips are so soft and gosh, he’s dreamt of this a thousand times and it’s finally happening. It’s much better than all his fantasies and he doesn’t know it but the love you feel in his kiss has you gasping for air, drowning you in his affection and you wonder how you’ve become so lucky to be loved so much by such a wonderful man.

When you part, both of you are equally flushed and you both find yourselves laughing, the melody of it echoing through the empty park.

“Tastes salty.”

“It’s the tears. Adds a little flavor.”

You grimace at him and he only sticks his tongue out at you teasingly.

His hand slides down from your waist just so he can intertwine his fingers with yours.

It sure feels nice to hold your hand knowing that you are wholly his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is the finale!! look forward to it!!


	15. Chapter 15

Osamu went home with you and got a little bit surprised when your family was just as shocked as he was at your sudden appearance. Apparently, you thought it funny to surprise everyone so you didn't tell anyone anything. 

You also announced that both of you have started dating and he finds it embarrassing because your family barely batted an eye to this new piece of information. Heck, they reacted more towards the fact that you're suddenly back in Hyogo. 

"About damn time Osamu-kun! And here I thought you'd never get ta my daughter!" 

"Wait, you mean both of ya aren't dating already?" 

Osamu wanted the ground to swallow him whole. Did they already see it coming? Were they aware of his feelings? Or is it you who they got the vibe from? Nonetheless, it's kind of humiliating considering it's _YOUR_ family. 

You invited him to stay with you to make up for lost time and he almost refused because he thought that ' _making up for lost time_ ' meant doing... _the dirty_ and, to be honest, he wasn't quite ready for that just yet. He'd just learned that you loved him too and he's already over the moon, he's not greedy enough to push his luck. Besides, he doesn't think his heart could take it. Just imagining it already has his blood pressure spiking up. 

But when your family teasingly implied it when they heard you ask, you immediately flushed and told them you just wanted to stay with him a little bit longer, intending to take all your fill of him before you went back to Tokyo. Your cute demeanour about it is just as good as the impure thoughts swimming inside his head, your cheeks red while you pout so endearingly. Osamu swears he just used up all his luck just to get with an angel like you. 

You suddenly perked up, remembering something, and you inquired about his mother, Osamu waving a hand that he can just call home. You frown but he reassures you that you can just go there the next morning (it's literally next door) and maybe stay the night too, in his room this time. 

"Though I don't live there anymore." 

Your eyes widen. "Huh?" 

"I'm staying somewhere near the shop." 

"What?!" 

Despite that being news to you, you shake his hand anyway, sealing the deal. 

You both just made do in your small bed, squeezing two bodies in, his hand on your waist, faces close to each other, as both of you just... talk. Conversing with you is never boring and you guys can literally talk about just anything. Even as friends. It had Osamu thinking a bunch of times that you're his soulmate, the only person who's suited for his sweet little heart. 

A lover, a bestfriend, a soulmate. All in the form of one person. How blessed he truly is. 

With you by his side, your eyes crinkling in amusement as you giggle at another one of his quips, he's certain that you really are the person he's bound to spend his whole life with.

"I walked ya home alternately with Suna as a compromise back then because I got jealous and wanted him to leave ya alone but I couldn't abandon practice with 'Tsumu bitchin' about." 

Both of you are sharing your experiences with the awful pining towards each other throughout the years and as more stories get told, the more you both wonder how blind you two have been because of the swirling insecurities of losing one another. You could've been with each other all along. 

That gets your eyebrows raising but then you start biting your lower lip, unsure if you should even share what's on the tip of your tongue, Osamu watching the gesture, but you figure you've shared a bunch of embarrassing things already, what's one more? 

"I broke up with Aito because he wanted me ta skip yer matches to celebrate our anniversary instead. Told me that you both don't care about me so me bein' absent wouldn't make much difference." 

Osamu scrunches his nose and your hand automatically moves to pinch it, making him scrunch his face more. You only smile at that. 

"That scrub. It _would_ make a difference. Who am I gonna impress with my risky stunts if ya weren't there?" 

You roll your eyes, taking your hand back and putting it close to your chest. You notice that Osamu seems to watch every move of yours and you're a little embarrassed because it really seems like he's totally enamored with you. 

(He is.) 

"Yer fangirls, duh? So annoying, always have girls cheerin' ya on and then flocking around ya." 

Osamu pinches your cheek as he tuts, making you swat his hand away, glaring at him as you rub your cheek. He kisses it gently and you swear, if you were standing up, your legs might've given in because it sure does feel like jelly after that simple affectionate action. (How weak!) 

"At least I didn't date any of 'em just so I can get over ya!" 

This time, it's your turn to pinch his cheek and he makes a show of attempting to bite your hand so you can stop. You move your hand away but not without glaring at him, Osamu shooting you a triumphant smile as you once again tuck it close to your chest. 

"Actually, I have a few questions for ya." He starts and shifts closer to you, your noses brushing against each other. You lean in to give him a peck, which catches him off guard because he makes an embarrassing noise and jolts as if he's been shocked. You frown at his reaction. 

"Geez, it's just a kiss 'Samu," you say, mildly offended, as he moves back to where he was, face a little bit redder now than earlier. He only scoffs at you. 

"Warn me next time, ya don't know what ya do ta me, y'know." He gingerly takes your hand and rests it on his chest and you start to blush too because his heart's beating so fast and it isn't long before the drumming underneath your fingers synchronizes with yours. You hit his chest lightly before kissing his nose, trying to hide the fact that you're so overwhelmed right now that you can barely breathe. 

"Ask away already, dummy." 

Osamu sighs before biting his lip. 

"I..." he starts and then he starts frowning, "...give me a moment. My brain short circuits whenever ya kiss me." 

That has you laughing for a minute, cupping his cheeks as you revel over how cute he is. Your heart is so full. You're really glad he took the risk for the both of you because heavens know just how much of a coward you are. You would've been content living your whole life as his friend, even if you end up being bitter and miserable when he does find someone who he'll cherish.

Lucky for you, it turned out to be you. 

You brush his bangs away from his eyes and mutter 'I love you' softly as he takes his time remembering whatever he's supposed to ask. He groans at that like he's just been struck and then slips an arm from under you, pulling you into his embrace as he buries his face into the crook of your neck. 

"Dammit [Y/n], I'm tryin' ta think! I forgot what I'm supposed ta ask now completely because of that." Osamu sounds a bit like he's whining (he totally is) and you amusedly roll your eyes at that, fingers combing through his hair as you tell him he's such a scrub. He hums as he leans in into your touch and you smile because you're happy that you can do these things now, no longer having the need to steal such moments and convince oneself that you're only just a friend. 

Osamu groans once he realizes that he's lost himself again in your trance and he scowls, pinching your side. 

"Ow, what was that?!" You hiss at him and hit him in the arm as revenge. He frowns at you. 

"Stop distractin' me," he murmurs softly and you suddenly can't help but smile, a little bit proud of yourself because you have such an effect on him. He sticks out his tongue at you before sighing. 

"I've been wonderin' what you, Aran-san, and Kita-san had been talkin' about when I saw you guys in that cafe," he avoids looking at you, a bit shy that he's admitting that it's still bothering him, "And whatever the fuck was that during graduation with Fukoshiro." 

You snort at the last part, raising an eyebrow at him since you find it absurd that he's so wary about Aito. But then, you did date the guy so it's really all your fault, isn't it? You bite your lower lip and decide to answer that question first. You wouldn’t want Osamu to feel insecure. Heck, if he dated another girl back then, you imagine that you’ll be a wreck.

“Ai-kun was teasin’ me about ya at that time; jokin’ that I should confess ta ya already when I still have the chance. If yer wonderin’ about the hug, keep in mind that I was in the same class as him during our third year too and well, we managed to put the past aside and became friends.” You rub his arm in an attempt to be comforting and Osamu holds his breath because it's making him feel things. 

You've always made him feel things. 

His gaze softens and he mutters an “ok”, trusting you wholeheartedly. You smile at that, kissing the tip of his nose, and goes on to address his other question.

"I bumped into them while shopping then they invited me out for tea. I don't really remember how it got there but then I already found myself asking Aran-senpai and Kita-senpai if I have a chance with you." 

Osamu curses internally. What are the chances? It's the only two upperclassmen who seem to know what's going on with him too. Still he finds it flattering that you were concerned about such a thing, finding it adorable at how dense you can be. Sure, he's kept his affections for you a secret or disguised it as him being your friend but still... you should've noticed just how often he seems to lose himself to you. 

But then, he's not one to talk. It's only now does he recognize that the softness in your gaze when you look at him isn’t because he’s your friend. It’s because you like him too. 

He can’t help but smile at this revelation. How quickly the world shifts when the person you love loves you back. 

"What'd they say?" 

You grimace as you recall. “They said if they’re gonna base it on how you act, it’ll mean ‘Tsumu would have a crush on me too.”

Osamu laughs at that and reveals that Atsumu actually liked you back in middle school in which you scrunch your nose and say, “Ew.” He guffaws and oh man, he can’t wait to tell Atsumu about this. He’ll sure be offended. He can’t also wait to tell his twin about how you both talk with each other until either of you can’t open your eyes anymore, nuzzling your forehead as you two fall asleep. How he wakes up the next morning to the sight of you on his side, the light from your window streaming in inside the room, giving you a halo. Osamu swears you’re a deity in your past life, one he worshiped earnestly until he died and he was reborn just so he can worship you again.

He can’t wait to brag to Atsumu about when your eyes finally flutter open after half an hour of admiring your face, the first thing you do is blink a few times and then smile at him, your hand coming up to weave through his hair before giving him a soft, chaste kiss. Osamu nearly tears up again because he can’t believe this is real. That you’re his. That it’s really you that he’s just kissed. He feels like a teenage boy again, so helplessly infatuated that he can’t even function normally. He can’t help but chuckle despite you complaining about morning breath because he feels that nothing can ruin his mood at this point.

As long as you’re by his side.

When the time has come to watch Atsumu, you help Osamu with the stand, the former catching a glimpse of you when he passes by with his team and waving enthusiastically, not really getting the chance to walk towards you because he’s getting dragged away by… Bokuto?

You’re aware that Bokuto and Sakusa are now his teammates but it sure still feels surreal to see the three of them together. It’s like different universes colliding to create a disaster. (Even though the three of them had existed in one universe to begin with and despite their different personalities, the MSBY Black Jackals are far from dysfunctional.) 

Despite catering to the customers that come his way during the match, Osamu keeps a close watch, occasionally laughing to himself when Atsumu screws up and then beaming in silent pride whenever his twin pulls off a cool stunt. You knock his shoulder with yours during a time out and he only turns to you with a smile.

“Hey, ‘Samu, I’ve been wonderin’, do ya regret it?”

He raises an eyebrow, curious. “Regret what?”

“Not pursuing volleyball.” 

He smiles and you can’t help but notice that he’s doing that more frequently now compared to when you were in highschool, his demeanor much more cheerful than he was before. You’ve noticed that when you first saw him too after moving away from Hyogo so you’re certain it’s not because of you. (Though you certainly play a huge factor.)

“Naw, I don’t.” His fingers graze yours and you can’t help but flush, feeling the ever-present butterflies in your stomach whenever he’s near. Osamu can’t help but blush as well, internally smacking himself because he’s being so embarrassing.

“I’m happy,” he says with a tone of finality and you can only smile, intertwining your fingers with his, his large hands almost engulfing yours. 

You smile because you’re happy too.

When the Jackals secure the win and the game ends, Atsumu makes sure to go straight to the both of you after signing a bunch of autographs; practically sprinting and jumping at you once you entered his line of sight. He kisses you a bunch of times on your temple and you laugh, squirming away from his hug as you complain that he stinks. Atsumu doesn’t seem to hear you because he just grins and twirls you around.

“I missed ya so much, [Y/n]!” He exclaims before finally putting you down and ruffling your hair. You swat his hand away and then smack his arm, making him whine even though it didn’t really hurt.

“I missed ya too, ‘Tsumu. Congrats on the win!” You grin and Osamu comes up from behind you to put your hair in place, simultaneously insulting and congratulating his twin in just one breath. Atsumu sticks his tongue out at Osamu and then immediately demands for an onigiri.

“Oooh, if it isn’t Tsum-Tsum and Myaa-sam together!” A loud boisterous voice catches all of your attention and you reel in your gasp as Bokuto emerges from the crowd with another familiar face beside him that you’re certain you recognize from their time in the nationals. (Akaashi, was it? You remember him because you found him pretty.)

_Tsum-tsum and Myaa-sam?_

You cover your mouth to prevent yourself from laughing and the twins doesn’t really seem to mind the nicknames but seeing you react to it that way triggers the inner argumentative child in them whenever you’re involved. It’s stupid but it’s almost a habit for you three to poke fun at each other whenever the chance arises.

However, before they can berate you because you’re the first person to come up with a dumb nickname and therefore doesn’t have any rights to laugh at another, Bokuto lets out a loud ‘hey, hey, hey’ (startling everyone, even Akaashi) and then points at _you_.

You stand up a little straighter and then point at yourself too, confused.

“Are you [Y/n]-chan?! Myaa’sam’s wife?! Ooooh, I’m finally meeting you!”

You almost get the wind knocked out of you at the idea and before you can deny it (even though the thought of being his wife is nice and appealing), Osamu pulls you by the waist and then beams, excited and proud about what he’ll say next. Atsumu’s eyes widened when you blush and you swear, his jaw almost went slack as he probably realizes what’s going to happen next.

“Well, she’s not my wife yet but she _is_ my girlfriend.”

Silence.

“OOOHH, SO YOU’RE NOT MARRIED YET?! / _HUUUUHH?!_ ” Bokuto and Atsumu yell at the same time, one ecstatic and the other pissed because why hadn’t he gotten the memo?! Since when?! You and Osamu laugh as Atsumu goes on a massive rant about how he’s been there from the start and yet you two had the audacity to not inform him. Bokuto tries to comfort him while Akaashi goes to chat you and Osamu up, congratulating you both and then proceeding to praise Osamu about Onigiri Miya.

Atsumu sulks even as you make your way home and you have to coo at him, saying that it was just recently and it was kind of disastrous. When he asks for details, you and Osamu proceed to trash talk each other about your respective approaches to confessing, you complaining about him confessing just before you departed and him countering it with how you took months to answer back. Atsumu laughs at that, saying that it was already disastrous from the beginning anyway with all the pining happening. You pout at that and Osamu’s so pissed that he was about to bring up the fact that you said _‘ew’_ when he revealed that Atsumu used to like you back then too but you’re both caught off guard at Atsumu’s genuine soft smile.

“I’m really happy for ya both, y’know. I’m really glad,” he says with emotion before looking Osamu in the eye and continuing, “Don’t screw this up, ‘Samu. You’ve liked her for so long. It’d be a shame if this don’t end with her bein’ my sister-in-law.”

You tear up at that, your chest warm because Atsumu seriously wants you to be part of their family, and you can’t help but pull him in a tight hug, ruffling his hair as you sniffle. He mutters about how you’re so lame but hugs you back anyway just as tight. He looks at Osamu and flashes a grin, mouthing ‘finally.’

_Finally._

Osamu doesn’t really need Atsumu telling him that. He fully intends to make it work with you. Heck, he’d be willing to grovel and beg if you decided to walk out his life just so he can make you stay. He discards the thought immediately, not wanting to soil this new budding relationship with you with a bad thought right from the start. Instead, he thinks about ways to make you happy, to communicate when communication is essential, to come up with compromises when arguments arise, to give you the love and respect you deserve and to accept the affection you give back to him willingly.

(Do you know I love you?)

He thinks about making it work when you go back to Tokyo to finish your degree, to visit you whenever he’s free, to bring you food and snacks and help you get some rest when the burnout gets really bad, lying on the same bed as you fall asleep to the drone of his voice telling you encounters he experienced while working.

(I know.)

He thinks about reconciling with you after a bad argument, your head resting on his shoulder as he plays with your fingers, each of you voicing out your grievances and shortcomings, apologizing in hushed tones. To be there when you kiss him ‘till he can’t breathe, his hand massaging your scalp as you both gaze into each other's eyes and then laughing at the absurdity of your fight after it’s done.

(Do _you_ know _I_ love you?)

He thinks about being there with you during the lowest points of your life, kissing your tears away, caging you in his embrace without a word as he waits out the sadness with you, offering to cook for you hours later as you try to compose yourself once again. To be there with you during the highest points too, your smiling face greeting him in the video call as you tell him about the praise you’ve gotten from your professor and how you received the highest grades in class. To be there with you during your graduation, handing you a bouquet and kissing your temple as he congratulates you for finishing your degree. To be there when you jump in his arms and tell him you love him.

(I know.)

He thinks about you helping him in Onigiri Miya, your hair in a bun as you greet and chatter with the customers, delivering the plates, filling up their cups, wiping a sweat off his brow as he slaves away making onigiris, your smile letting him forget the soreness of his body from working. To think about how you discuss business matters with him, taking in your input and making them work with his own.

(Good.)

He thinks about playing with your hand, feeling it, trying to determine the size of that specific finger, fully knowing that the method is counterproductive but he tries it anyway. To think about how you expressed to Atsumu that you didn’t really want anything grand, that if Osamu just went up to you one day and told you that ‘ _hey, let’s get married_ ’, you’d say yes even if there wasn’t any ring yet. To revel at your scrunched up face as you try not to cry when he brings it up one day while both of you are in bed, laughing at you and trying not to tear up himself when he sees just how shocked and happy you are. To bite his lower lip once you nod eagerly, words failing you, and despite you trying so hard to not let tears fall, they fall anyway as he slips the ring on your ring finger. To chuckle at how you just give up and let out a sob as you pull him into a hug, crying on his chest as you tell him that all of you is his, your heart, your soul, your body, your love. He gives up and cries as well, tightening the hug and also telling you that all of him is yours, how it’s always been yours from the start.

(The ring’s a little loose.)

To think about how beautiful you are on your wedding day, your smile more radiant and lovelier than he’s ever seen. To confirm how nothing in his life will ever compare to the happiness he feels now as both of you say your vows and I do’s in front of everyone, sealing the promise of loving and staying with each other ‘till the day you die with a kiss. To laugh at how even Atsumu cries at the ceremony, their mom comforting him as she cries as well, while the rest of the Inarizaki team get emotional too, watching how far the two of you have come; from the awkward teenagers to a so-disgustingly-in love newly weds.

(We’ll get it fixed, my love.)

To think about making love to you, prioritizing your pleasure and comfort above his, eager to serve you in every way possible; to have you sing out his name like a prayer, telling him that he’s all you need. To tell you that you’re all he’ll ever need as well, the only woman that he vowed to and will cherish for the rest of his days.

(I love you.)

To think about building a family with you, kids with Osamu’s hair and your eyes running around your household, playing in the yard like the menaces they are as you scold them for the mess they made. To laugh about how they'll bother their uncle to play volleyball with them whenever the bastard chooses to visit; Atsumu getting overly competitive with a bunch of kids as they call him lame despite them finding their uncle the second coolest in the world next to dad.

(I love you too.)

To think about how he’ll be able to look Atsumu in the eyes and tell him he’s lived a more fulfilling life because he has happiness, _you_ , holding his hand.

You look up and smile at him and he’s thought and said it time and time again but his heart is eternally yours.

You squeeze his hand. _And yours eternally his as well._

He smiles back.

That’s all Osamu wants, really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you very much for sticking with it 'till the end! it has been an absolute delight to write this even tho i had no idea what i was doing half the time haha!
> 
> i actually draw more than i write so i might as well shamelessly plug my socials,, i'm @/Claradeso in twtter and ig! u can also leave an ask in tumblr (https://claradeso.tumblr.com/) suggesting prompts and characters for whatever i write next haha!!
> 
> once again, thank you very much! hope you like the ending! ; o ; i hope all of u are safe and healthy,,, see ya!


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